Maserati Ghibli Hybrid teased

Maserati has given a small glimpse of its electrified future overnight, with a teaser video hinting that the first Maserati Ghibli Hybrid sedan will be revealed imminently.

It has been known for some time that Maserati is heading down the electric path with both petrol-electric hybrid and full-electric EV models.

The fresh clip released overnight shows lightning striking the Trident mascot on the company’s Italian headquarters, before sending a shock through the whole building.

Maserati says the episode formally brings to life its electric future, but it doesn’t shed any more light on the Ghibli Hybrid itself, other than a carefully-worded statement.

“Innovation has always been a muse for Maserati’s engineers and designers: it all starts with a spark – a flash of brilliance that catches, that burns, that grows,” Maserati said in a release.

“From this same inspiration comes the all new Ghibli Hybrid: the first in a line of new vehicles at the vanguard of a new era for Maserati.”

It’s understood the Maserati Ghibli Hybrid was originally destined for reveal at the 2020 Beijing motor show, but that plan was quashed because of the coronavirus.

The powertrain of Maserati’s first electrified model remains unknown. There have been persistent murmurs the Ghibli Hybrid will come with a V6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain, which would give the Italian brand’s BMW 5 Series-rivalling sedan ultra-low emissions and a useable pure-electric range.

Alternatively, it could simply be a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol V6 powertrain in the existing Ghibli, which was first launched in 2013.

And there’s still no word on a V8-powered Maserati Ghibli ‘Trofeo’ powered by the same twin-turbo V8 seen in the new Maserati Levante GTS and Trofeo super-SUVs.

Either way, as well as the option of an advanced hybrid powertrain, which is also due to be applied to facelifted Levante and Quattroporte this year, the 2020 Ghibli will get Maserati’s Level 2 autonomous driving capability.

Another model now being teased ahead of its global release later this year is the all-new Maserati MC20 supercar, which will initially emerge with a mid-mounted combustion engine before also being electrified.

Next year, the second-generation Maserati GranTurismo coupe, and the GranCabrio drop-top that follows, will herald the introduction of Maserati’s first-ever pure-electric powertrain, which will also power the next-generation Quattroporte from 2022.

Maserati will also introduce an all-new mid-size luxury SUV to slot below the current Levante, which is due for replacement in 2023, but its arrival has been delayed to 2021 and it’s unclear whether it will offer conventional, mild-hybrid, PHEV or full-EV powertrains.