After announcing its future plans way back in September last year, Maserati has now finally introduced its first foray into electrified vehicles – the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid, ushering in a whole new era for the company.
The big focal point here is of course the engine, which is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit taken from the Alfa Romeo Giulia (but heavily modified, according to Maserati), paired to a 48-volt alternator and an additional electric supercharger (e-Booster), with power fed from a battery mounted at the rear of the car.
The fancy engine, which Maserati claims is unique in the segment, is rated for a total system output of 330 hp and 450 Nm of torque, the latter available from just 1,500 RPM. Zero-to-hundred km/h takes 5.7 seconds, onward to a top speed of 255 km/h.
Impressively, even with all the new electrical bits and pieces, the Ghibli Hybrid actually weighs about 80kg less than the V6 diesel variant, while producing 25% less CO2. With the new electrification efforts, Maserati claims that the new Ghibli Hybrid can achieve a fuel consumption figure of 8.5 l/100km.
What’s more, the company also claims that Ghibli Hybrid will retain the “unmistakable sound that has always distinguished every Maserati”, thanks to an “optimised exhaust”, which includes specially designed resonators. Well, we think we’ll be the judge when it comes out.
To differentiate the new electrified Ghibli from the rest of the crowd, Maserati added multiple blue accents to the exterior of the car, obviously. The blue accent will become the signature of all electrified Maseratis in the future.
Other exterior changes include a new front grille design, inspired by tuning forks which produces a “sound of extreme purity”, as well as the new taillights with a new boomerang light signature, inspired by the 3200 GT and the Alfieri concept car.
The blue accents continues on the interior of the Ghibli Hybrid, with Blue contrast stitching on the leather trims, along with a blue embroidered Trident logo on the headrest.
The Ghibli Hybrid will also debut the new 10.1-inch infotainment system with Maserati Connect, featuring always-on connectivity for over-the-air software updates and telematics.
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