Maserati MC20 supercar named

Maserati’s all-new mid-engined supercar will be called the Maserati MC20 and it will form the basis of a return to GT racing by the Italian brand.

No new information has been revealed about the Maserati MC20, which stands for Maserati Corse (‘race’ in Italian) and 2020, but first official teaser images released last November revealed it will be mid-engined.

They also confirmed the MC20 will look nothing like the sleek front-engined Alfieri 2+2 concept of 2014, which instead could preview the next-generation Maserati GranTurismo coupe and its convertible sibling, the GranCabrio, due in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Previously, Maserati said its all-new two-seat supercar, which will make its world debut in Italy in May, would debut a completely new drivetrain developed entirely by its own Innovation Lab (not its former sister brand Ferrari).

“The super sports car is the natural evolution of the highly successful MC12, the car that in 2004 marked Maserati’s return to racing after 37 years,” said the car-maker.

The MC12 won 22 races, including the Spa 24 Hour three times, and 14 FIA GT titles (including drivers, teams and constructors) between 2005 and 2010.

The road-going Maserati MC20 is expected to debut with a high-performance V8, which may be the only powertrain available in Australia, but it will be joined by “an advanced electric powertrain”.

It remains to be see whether this is the three-motor, 800-volt battery-electric system previously announced for the still-born Alfieri, which was claimed to hit 100km/h in two seconds.

Just days ago Maserati said its first electrified model will be a plug-in hybrid version of the facelifted Ghibli sedan it will launch later this year.

Following that, the new GranTurismo will be Maserati’s first all-electric model, in 2021. Parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has invested $A1.3 billion to transform the Mirafiori factory into an EV plant.

The same year will see Maserati introduce an all-new mid-size SUV to slot below the Levante, to be built at Alfa Romeo’s Cassino plant near Naples, where another $1.3 billion has been spent on EV facilities.

After this year’s launch of the smaller SUV and MC20, which will be made at Maserati’s home Viale Ciro Menotti plant in Modena from this year, and the new GranTurismo/Cabrio in 2021/22, Maserati is planning replacements for the Quattroporte limousine and Levante in 2022 and 2023 respectively – after both models receive a facelift this year.