Maserati Pulls The Plug On Electric Quattroporte Folgore [Correction: Maybe Not]

Correction: Thursday, January 25, 2024, 3:28 p.m. ET: Maserati has issued a press release confirming the brand’s commitment to “electric future mobility,” and committing to the next-generation Quattroporte as a battery electric vehicle in 2028.

It’s impossible to be a high-end automaker in today’s market without at least teasing an electric model, and Maserati’s Folgore (Italian for lightning) line was intended to fill that niche. After delays to the planned battery-electric GranTurismo Folgore and Grecale Folgore, Maserati has also made the decision to delay — if not scrap altogether — the electric Quattroporte sedan. Maser claims it is concerned about the performance numbers its electric machines are producing, but Italian media suggests that Stellantis is looking to significantly cut the brand’s costs.

The previous-generation Maserati Quattroporte (pictured above) exited production in Q4 of 2023. It was available with either V6 or V8 powertrains, neither of which were electrified. The brand’s other sedan, the smaller Ghibli, also ended production late last year, and won’t be replaced. The next-gen QP is intended to be the only sedan in the Maser lineup. This quarter, the brand is planning to lay off 1,000 employees from the Mirafiori factory where the Quattroporte was made, and the Modena factory which produces the MC20 sports car will also see an additional 220 employees laid off due to “steep decrease in market demand” for the quarter-million dollar two-seater.

Stellantis has allegedly asked suppliers for a reduction in parts costs by six percent, following a similar reduction request in 2023. The relatively small volume of Maserati doesn’t really pull much economies-of-scale weight with suppliers, and in today’s high-inflation marketplace, a six percent cut is actually much worse than it sounds. If supply can’t hit Stellantis’ high demands, is it possible the electric sedan will be scrapped altogether?

Maserati’s CEO was quoted by Italian newspaper La Repubblica as saying the “successor to the Quattroporte will be all-electric and will be unveiled in early 2025.” Automotive News Europe reports that the company has suspended all development of the electric sedan because of “the need to take zero risks on the performance level of the new car.” It seems unlikely the sedan will see the light of day in early 2025, or maybe ever.

If, after six generations stretching back to 1963, this is how the legendary Quattroporte dies, it’ll be a sad death indeed.