(Bloomberg) — Italian luxury-car maker Maserati SpA’s all-new Grecale SUV is aimed squarely at the Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLE.
“Our Grecale will beat the best performance vehicles from Stuttgart, Germany—you know who I’m talking about,” Maserati Americas CEO Bill Peffer said at a press preview in Los Angeles March 21. Both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are headquartered in that Shwabian industrial city.
With prices starting in the low $60,000 range, the midsize sports utility vehicle shares a platform with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and comes with the choice of a V6 engine or a four-cylinder mild-hybrid engine in which an electric drive assists with fuel economy but does not power the car on its own. A full-electric version is planned for the fall of 2023. Both Alfa Romeo and Maserati are owned by Stellantis NV, the parent company formed in 2021 to include 14 brands including Chrysler and Jeep.
The new vehicle comes with five drive modes, multiple driver-assist programs, Android and Apple CarPlay, and, in some models, 21-inch wheels and a panoramic sunroof. It is the 107-year-old brand’s second SUV, after the larger, $81,800 Levante that debuted in 2011 and comprised 60% of Maserati sales globally last year. Peffer expects the Grecale to take over as the brand’s top-seller: “We want more volume based on new product, not on pushing the existing lineup.”
A $63,500 “GT” version of the Grecale comes with a four-cylinder mild-hybrid engine capable of 300 horsepower; a “Modena” version has the same four-cylinder mild-hybrid engine tuned to produce 325 horsepower; the high-performance “Trofeo” version boasts a 523-horsepower V6 engine derived from the same one under the hood of the MC20 supercar. All come standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Maserati declined to give further pricing on other versions of the Grecale range.
Time will tell whether Peffer’s braggadocio relies on the performance of the electric variant, whose performance figures were not disclosed. The current line-topping Trofeo will hit a top speed of 177mph with a 0-62mph sprint time of 3.6 seconds. Such numbers would best the $65,400 Porsche Macan S and $74,150 Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE 53, though not some of the highest-tuned, six-figure SUVs from those brands like the $180,800 Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Emblazoned with a blown-up version of Maserati’s traditional trident badge at the front, angled headlights that evoke those of the Maserati MC20 sportscar, and a roofline that calls to mind a Porsche Cayenne, the Grecale looks like half of the other luxury premium SUVs on the market today. It is similar in proportion to the Stelvio and Macan, even though with a 114.2-inch wheelbase and 190.8 inches in overall length it is longer than both of them. Its nondescript sides are slightly rounded and smooth, characterized by doorhandles set flush with the body of the vehicle.
Named after a Mediterranean wind, the new model arrives months after the brand’s postponed November launch due to the global chip crunch. Peffer says Stellantis is prioritizing parts for Maserati so that deliveries, which are scheduled to begin in the U.S. this fall, will remain on schedule. Customers who want to be served first can place a $500 deposit online starting March 22 for a $77,400 Grecale Modena “Limited Edition.”
Grecale is the beginning of Maserati’s plan to make an electric version of all of its models by 2025. In a call with reporters March 17, Maserati CEO Davide Grasso said it will phase out all of its internal combustion engine vehicles by the 2030.
Parent company Stellantis is investing $35.5 billion to introduce 13 new EVs across all of its brands by the end of 2023. Last year, Maserati recorded 41% year-over-year growth with a total of 24,269 vehicles delivered worldwide. That was an improvement over 2020, which saw Maserati ship just 17,000 units globally for the year, down from roughly 19,000 units in 2019.
Maserati’s electric range, which it is calling “Folgore” (Italian for “lightning”), will see a new electric GranTurismo coming in 2023 followed by a fully electric Levante SUV and new electric Quattroporte sport sedan in 2025. A full-electric version of the MC20 supercar, currently offered as a hybrid V6, will also arrive by 2025, a spokesperson said.
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