Maseratis have always been about electrifying performance, ever since I (as a teenager) drooled over the V8-powered Bora, Merak, and Khamsin of the 70s. Today’s Maseratis are no longer the waist-high exotic cars of 40 years ago. They have become luxury sports sedans, grand touring coupes, and even an SUV.
But they all still boast electrifying performance.
Which is no surprise that the latest jewel from Modena (or in the case of this innovative new car, Turin) is every inch still an electrifying performer — in more ways than one.
It’s the new Ghibli Hybrid — and it’s the first electrified vehicle in Maserati’s 105-year history.
The new Ghibli Hybrid represents one of the most ambitious projects for Maserati since the announcement of the new engine for the MC20 super sports car. The choice to introduce hybrid technology on the Ghibli is no coincidence; this model, with over 100,000 units produced since its launch in 2013, perfectly embodies the Trident brand’s DNA.
In fact, the challenge facing Maserati was to enter the world of electrification without altering the brand’s core philosophy and values. The result? The Ghibli Hybrid. What’s more, the Ghibli Hybrid will retain the unmistakable growl that has always distinguished every Maserati.
Italian style
The common denominator of the Ghibli Hybrid’s restyling, developed by the Centro Stile Maserati, is the blue colour, chosen to identify all cars with hybrid technology and the new world they represent.
On the outside, the blue color characterizes the three iconic side air ducts, the brake calipers and the thunderbolt in the oval that encloses the Trident on the rear pillar. The same blue color appears inside the car, in particular on the embroidered seams of the seats.
The new Ghibli Hybrid also introduces new design elements, starting from the new front grille, with bars redesigned to represent a tuning fork, a musical device that emits a sound of extreme purity, and which also evokes the brand’s Trident symbol itself. There are significant changes at the rear of the car, where the light clusters have been completely restyled, with a boomerang-like profile inspired by the 3200 GT and the Alfieri concept car.
The Maserati Intelligent Assistant Android Auto multimedia system, with its huge 10.1-inch HD touchscreen, delivers an innovative user experience fully customizable to the driver’s preferences.
Mild Hybrid
In perfect harmony with its DNA, Maserati has chosen a hybrid solution focused primarily on improving performance, while also reducing fuel consumption and cutting emissions. Hybrid technology exploits kinetic energy the car accumulates when in motion, recovering it and transforming it into electricity during deceleration and braking, and storing it in a battery.
The innovative powertrain, the result of extensive R&D by the technicians of the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena, combines an internal combustion engine (a 2.0-liter 4 cylinder petrol turbo) with a 48-volt alternator and an additional electric supercharger (e-Booster), supported by a battery. This solution is unique in its segment, and is the first in a new generation of powertrains, with the perfect trade-off between performance, efficiency and driving pleasure. The battery is mounted in the rear of the car, with benefits in terms of improved weight distribution. Despite the addition of an electric motor and long-range batteries, the Ghibli Hybrid weighs 80kg less than the Ghibli Diesel.
The combined output of 330hp and torque of 450Nm (delivered from just 1,500 rpm) allows the Ghibli Hybrid to achieve 255 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds. Ghibli Hybrid occupants will still revel in the unmistakable sound that characterizes all Maseratis, thanks to the optimized exhaust, which includes specially designed resonators.
The new Ghibli Hybrid represents the first step in a plan that will lead to the electrification of all future Maseratis. The brand’s first all-electric cars will be the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio, scheduled for 2021. The Ghibli Hybrid is expected to reach the Philippines in the second half of 2021.