The biggest car news and reviews, no BS
Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.
This week, Maserati showed us what amounts to the core of its 2027 lineup. Freshly painted and wearing updated grilles, the facelifted GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Grecale represent the company’s “volume,” so to speak. Maserati is counting on them to carry the Italian luxury maker through the near term. But then what?
During a Q&A session that followed the unveiling of these updated models, Maserati executives fielded questions not just about the two- and four-door vehicles they’d shown us, but about the future of Maserati itself—a future that, among other things, likely includes V8 power and a new, reimagined sedan.
“We have one of the best—if not the best—V6s in the world,” Maserati Chief Operating Officer Santo Ficili said.
And Ficili said the team’s immediate goal was to exploit that six-cylinder’s capabilities to its fullest extent. But he conceded there are segments of the market that simply won’t settle for smaller engines, and many of those buyers are in the market for high-end luxury vehicles.
“Of course, we are also considering the V8,” Ficili said.
Engineering boss Davide Danesin echoed Ficili’s sentiment, pointing out the V6’s flexibility, but also acknowledging that it made sense to keep a V8 design on the table.
“We have the knowledge; we have the capability,” Danesin said.
And at this point, even without a V8 on the official roadmap, it’s more likely to happen than a plug-in hybrid. The company is actively exploring opportunities to expand its 48-volt mild hybrid architecture, which is likely to percolate throughout the lineup over time. Full hybrid powertrains are also on the table, Danesin told us. But PHEVs? Don’t count on it.
Danesin noted that Maserati has access to all three levels of hybrid tech within the company’s broader “technological portfolio,” but played down the idea of a plug-in hybrid being compatible with its sales mission, citing both the weight and the fact that many customers simply don’t plug them in, making the batteries a waste of space (and mass).
So far, so good, right? Now, what about the future of Quattroporte?
Maserati’s iconic sedan remains on indefinite hiatus. It was supposed to be replaced by an EV. But both Ficili and Cristiano Fiorio, the company’s chief marketer, think there’s a future for four-doors at the automaker.
“Absolutely yes,” Fiorio said. “I believe that sedan will come back.”
Fiorio noted that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are both what the company refers to as “retro-seeking” buyers. They’re starting to reject the oversized and over-digitized cars that have grown popular in recent decades. “The world is full of SUVs,” he said.
And while Grecale helps Maserati fill the hole left by the Quattroporte, the company recognizes that there are buyers who want a true executive sedan. Fiorio thinks there’s room there for a new entry, but that the notion of a sedan itself might have to evolve a bit with the times.
“Quattroporte is looking for something new,” he said.
We’ll have to wait to find out exactly what that looks like.
Got a news tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!
Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
