Maserati has started production of its new Ghibli plug-in hybrid, its first electrified model.
Pitched to rival the BMW 530e and Mercedes E 300 e, the new car not only gives the Italian brand a foothold in the low-emission premium car market but also represents the start of Maserati’s switch to becoming an electric-only brand.
It’s likely the new model will prove popular among user-chooser company car drivers if CO2 emissions dip below the 50g/km threshold.
Information about the powertrain, performance or price are yet to be revealed.
Production of the new Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio - the brand's first cars to adopt 100% electric solutions - will commence in 2021.
More than £1.6 billion has been invested in FCA’s Miafiori hub, where the new models will be built alongside the new fully-electric Fiat 500.
To improve the plant’s sustainability, the Group has announced two new projects to reduce its environmental impact. The first is the installation of solar panel on 120,000sq m of the plant’s roof. It will also install 850 EV charging points.
These new plans are in addition to the previously announced development of the world’s largest Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) hub, which will connect a fleet of 700 electric vehicles via a two-way recharging infrastructure capable of supplying 25Mw to the energy grid to balance demand during peak periods.
To support the production of new electrified models, FCA is building its own battery assembly plant at Miafiori which will produce the batteries for all Maserati electric vehicles.
There will also be a new small SUV, sitting beneath the Levante, that will start production at Cassiano at the end of this year.
Replacements for the Quattroporte and Levante are due in 2023.
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
Paul Gauntlett - 21/02/2020 15:58
Company Cars Help The Nations Drive To Zero. The more company car cars we can switch to Electric (but PHEV as a good stepping stone) the quicker we will get to all vehicles on the road being able to drive with Zero tailpipe emissions. The more cars on the road being capable of being plugged in the quicker the roll out of Public EV charging. This is a movement building great momentum. A guest on BBC breakfast said that they could not afford to replace their 10 year old diesel with a new electric car - but in a few years there will be lots of used electric vehicles at all budgets. That is of course why the Opra rules don't apply to ULEV's so if anyone opted out of a company car want now to take a Ultra Low Emission Vehicle They Can. [The government actively incentivising the take up of low emission vehicles] . Which brings me onto this article - The Maserati Ghibli is a beautiful car. If Maserati can get the C02 under 50g/km to take advantage of the low emission incentives then I have little doubt it will be very appealing as a company car among senior managers. It also perhaps a really signal that the decline the industry has seen is company cars is coming to an end as we play a crucial part in helping Britain become carbon Neutral.