Maserati's Second SUV Will Make Or Break The Brand

Sep. 15, 2020 2:20 PM ET byAaron Brzozowski Industry News /14 Comments

It's called the "Grecale," and it will debut before the end of the year.

After decades in relative obscurity, Maserati turned a new corner several years ago, committing to an ambitious product strategy that would see the marque's portfolio grow to include Maserati's first-ever utility vehicle, theLevante, and push global sales volume into all-new territory. The marque saw its best year ever in 2017, selling a total 48,700 vehicles, before declining again, to 26,500 last year. This year has been even harder on the brand, slumping to just 7,000 units in the first half.

Now, the automaker is pinning its hopes on electrified powertrains and a second, brand new crossover to turn its fortunes around.

TheMaserati Grecale, as it's called, will be critical to the marque's continued recovery and future growth, making up an estimated 70 percent of its target markets, according to the brand. Company executives expect premium utility vehicle sales to grow 40 percent from 2019's levels by 2025, while sports cars are expected to shrink by 8 percent.

On top of that, each and every model within the Maserati lineup will offerpure-electric propulsionas an option, ensuring that the marque is able to meet whatever demand the market generates, although FCA CEO Mike Manley says it's difficult to project just what the brand's gas-to-electric mix will be five years in the future.

The Maserati Grecale will be unveiled by the end of the year, riding on the same Giorgio platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and things will only accelerate after that. In 2022, electric and convertible versions of the MC20 will debut, as will a brand new GranTurismo sports coupe and GranCabrio sports cabriolet. Both those cars will see pure-electric versions unveiled in 2022, too, as will the Grecale.

In 2023 or '24, the Quattroporte sedan and Levante crossover will both be replaced by all-new versions, each with a battery-electric variant.

In all, Maserati will bring another 13 new models and derivatives to market by 2025, at a cost of roughly $2.96 billion, with a target of reaching 75,000 annual sales by that time. "We call this a launch point for Maserati," Manley says.