Maserati Quattroporte PHEV is on the cards

Joining forces with Alfa Romeo could add PHEVs to Maserati’s range. That means a lifeline for Quattroporte.

Maserati may add PHEV powertrains to its line-up as a stepping stone between ICE and electric power. Quattroporte is likely to be the first of the new electrified models.

CEO Santo Ficili said recently that the company needs to offer its customers “all the possibilities” of propulsion.

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Our customers are confused, he said. “You can imagine: PHEV, BEV, mild hybrid… We need to stay in touch with our customers.”

Ficili added: “I don’t know when we will go totally BEV. It’s a question of timing. In between, we need to consider MHEV and PHEV engines….”

Maserati’s current cars are based on platforms that cannot easily accommodate plug-in hybrid powertrains. However, sister brand Alfa Romeo is poised to launch a new Stelvio SUV and Giulia saloon. Both will use Stellantis’s new STLA Large platform. That can accommodate ICE, EV and hybrid drivetrains.

Ficili suggested that Maserati should also use the flexible STLA structure for future models. He said that a push for “synergies” between the two Italian manufacturers made sense. That opens the door for the next Giulia and Stelvio to provide the basis for a new Quattroporte and Levante, respectively. Both will likely have EV and hybrid power options.

Maserati was looking to launch an elecric Quattroporte this year, its first EV. However, last year it pushed the launch date forward to 2028 as EV uptake slowed. 

Twinning the next Quattroporte with the new Giulia, which will have EV and ICE options, could speed up the development of Maserati’s saloon. R&D costs would drop dramatically as well.

And the same is true for Levante, tapping into Stelvio as the basis for the Gen II machine. It could then offer petrol and EV power to counter rival Porsche Cayenne.

Ficili said that the two brands need to be separated for positioning, but could share “platforms, electronic architectures, software and probably powertrains”.

The two firms are also collaborating on a pair of exclusive supercar flagship models, with a high-output pure-ICE powertrain and a manual gearbox.