Maserati’s new mid-engined supercar teased

Maserati has given the first glimpse of its forthcoming supercar, which it has confirmed will be revealed in May 2020.

Confirming it will feature a mid-mounted powertrain, these official teaser images of a pre-production test mule show an all-new two-seat supercar that will debut a completely new drivetrain developed entirely by the Italian marque (not its former sister brand Ferrari).

“The experimental vehicles are equipped with a new powertrain entirely developed and built in Maserati and will be the forefather of a new family of engines integrated exclusively on the vehicles of the brand,” Maserati said in a statement.

“The data acquired through the kilometres covered by the mules will be integrated with the experience gathered in the Maserati Innovation Lab driving simulators. This working methodology will then be used to fine-tune and develop the prototypes with final bodywork and mechanics.”

The ground-breaking Maserati supercar, which will be built in Modena and offered in coupe and convertible forms, bears no resemblance to the front-engine 2+2 Alfieri coupe concept that Maserati revealed as far back as the 2014 Geneva motor show.

However, elements of the sleek Alfieri’s design could make their way onto the replacements for the Maserati GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible (in 2021 and 2022 respectively), which are now out of production.

And the three-motor, 800-volt battery-electric system Maserati previously announced for the still-born Alfieri, which its claimed would hit 100km/h in about two seconds, could become available in a zero-emissions version of the Maserati supercar.

The all-electric powertrain would be offered alongside the standard combustion-engined model, which should at least offer 48-volt mild-hybrid and perhaps plug-in technology and may be the only version available in Australia.

The last new Maserati launched was the Levante SUV back in 2014, however, the Italian marque is planning something of a renaissance with this as-yet unnamed sports car next year and an all-new mid-size SUV positioned below the Levante in 2021.

All Maserati models (including next year’s facelifted Ghibli and the new Quattroporte and Levante due in 2022 and 2023 respectively) are set to become available with PHEV powertrains from next year.

The PHEV models are aimed primarily at China and US, which together account for 60 per cent of Maserati sales. They will likely feature Maserati’s 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6.