Christian de Looper / Digital Trends
Maserati is adoptingelectrified vehicles with open subdivision , and while that could potentially signal an identity crisis for the luxury Italian stigma , that ’s probably a right thing in the long run .
The companionship recently took the wraps off of the Modern Maserati GranCabrio Folgore , which is essentially a convertible version of its already discharge GranTurismo Folgore electrical car . Thenew EVis its third go at electrify vehicles so far , and it flew us out to Rimini , Italy , to witness the with child reveal in mortal .
Christian de Looper / Digital Trends
The car itself has a lot going for it — and it ’s not all just depend . It sits on Maserati ’s own 800V Atlantis computer architecture , which allows it to DC fast charge at up to a solid 270 kilowatts , and to get from 20 % to 80 % in around 18 minute . It has a compass of between 260 and 278 stat mi , depend on the model you go for — which is n’t amazing , but it is middling good .
It ’s tight too . It has three motors , which can combine to return 996 lb - ft of torsion — and get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in an impressive 2.8 seconds . In other word , it trounce the majority of EVs out there in term of pure speed , which you would trust for founder the price dot . ( We do n’t yet have pricing for the new railway car , but it wo n’t be cheap . Some idea nail its start damage at over $ 200,000 , though that ’s not all that surprising for a Maserati . )
But it also look stunning . At the Folgore Day result in Rimini , Maserati also showed off the other vehicles in the Folgore cooking stove , admit the GranTurismo Folgore , which is not a convertible , and which I ’m a little more partial to in term of design . But that does n’t take away from the fact that the GranCabrio Folgore is still a beautiful car . It ’s inculcate with Maserati ’s invention sensibilities , both inside and out . Maserati design honcho Klaus Busse specifically pointed out the face of the car , observe that it was n’t completely faceless like some other eV , which allow for for aura inhalation through the front wicket to cool the motors and battery — something that electric vehicles do still need , even if they do n’t require as much temperature reduction as their gas - powered twin . The bronze colour that Maserati is usher off in online images is particularly good - looking — however , we were only able to see a pinkish version . It also attend great , though it ’s perhaps not my first choice of color .
It ’s well one of the substantially - look electric railcar out there right now , though . That ’s not to say there are n’t othergreat - looking EVs . There are . But there are also some downright ugly single , and some that look expert , but not quite as luxurious . That ’s really the period that Maserati is going for here — luxury . customer have a mountain range of customization options , both inside and out , and while I was n’t able to posture in the machine , the Interior Department await very agio .
Maserati is n’t forgetting about carrying into action , of course . As cite , this gondola can accelerate to 60 miles per time of day in 2.8 seconds . But when you may regain much cheaper cars frombrands like Kiathat get close to the same level of acceleration , functioning in world-wide is start up to find a little commoditized .
Because carrying out is depart to feel so much less important for EVs as a point of differentiation , brands like Maserati may have to create new ways to differentiate . Much of the conversation around galvanic vehicles has , so far , cover them like big appliances . It make sense . To most emptor , that ’s what they are , and as a technical school publicatio , n we here at Digital Trends are perhaps more apt at calculate at the range and charging speed than the real personality of actually driving a railway car . But for a brand like Maserati , personality is more important than for the likes of Kiaand Hyundai — and it can be hard to severalise personality in a world where all electric vehicles , at least to some extend , find the same behind the bicycle .
But that also beg the question : In an geological era of electric vehicles , how will the likes of Maserati substance their personality , and more significantly , work up their personality into their cars ? For now , itseemsto be through designing , luxury look , and attempting to recreate some of the experience of driving a Maserati with synthesized locomotive engine sounds . But as the stigma also attempts to feel a home with a vernal emptor , that may not be enough . Hopefully , we ’ll get a chance to drive the car in the near future to discover out .
