Listen to Maserati’s first EV

The new-generation 2021 Maserati GranTurismo and 2022 GranCabrio will be the first all-electric models from the historic Italian car-maker.

That means this year’s all-new Maserati supercar will be launched at first with a conventional powertrain, or at least it will have a petrol engine under its bonnet.

The trident brand confirmed the news today, in a press release apparently designed to get fans of its red-blooded sports cars ready for a new era of much quieter Maserati vehicles.

It was accompanied by a teaser video of its first pure-electric powertrain, fitted to what appears to be the outgoing GranTurismo, production of which ended last year.

Although it sounds nothing like the glorious, naturally-aspirated 4.7-litre that powered the original GranTurismo, which dates back to 2007, Maserati said its first EV powertrain will come with a distinctive signature sound.

It said the ‘engine’ note of its ground-breaking new in-house zero-emissions drivetrain, which is now under development at its Innovation Lab in Modena, is now at the experimental stage.

Maserati says it will acquire data from a series of road and track tests in various conditions to determine “the sound that will characterise the electric engine” due to power a range of future Maseratis.

The first of these will be the redesigned GranTurismo coupe to be built in Turin from 2021 (as evidenced by the MMXXI markings on the prototype, which features a fully blacked-out grille, including surround and trident emblem), followed by a new GranCabrio and the next-gen Quattroporte limousine due in 2022.

Maserati’s mould-breaking EV powertrain is also expected to eventually do duty in its all-new 'mid-engined' supercar to be launched in 2020, and the convertible version of it that follows.

As we’ve reported, Maserati’s unnamed performance flagship will be built at its Modena HQ from this year, but it won’t look like the stunning Alfieri concept that debuted way back in 2014. Instead, expect that design to grace next year’s new GranTurismo.

“The next full electric models will have a distinctive signature sound, already a unique attribute of all Maserati cars equipped with traditional combustion engines,” said Maserati.

“Customers will therefore benefit from 100% electric propulsion vehicles that will combine driving pleasure, comfort and performance with a unique and unmistakable sound.”

Maserati won’t be the first manufacturer to develop a unique “EV sound” for its battery-powered models, with the upcoming Audi e-tron already producing its own quirky spaceship-like note.

In many countries, EVs are or will be required to emit a subtle external sound to warm other road users of their presence at low speeds.