Maserati will launch extended-range versions of its electric Grecale crossover and Granturismo sports car later this year as part of a push to keep developing and improving its EV line-up.

The Italian firm launched its first two electric cars in 2024, offering EV power in those model lines as an alternative to mild-hybrid and pure-petrol ICE options. It was due to launch an electric Quattroporte this year but delayed that car until later this decade and now says improving its existing EVs and increasing uptake is the priority over launching new models.

Speaking at the unveiling of the new MCPura – the renamed and lightly restyled replacement for the V6-powered MC20 supercar – Maserati engineering boss Davide Danesin said the firm has adjusted its strategy in light of declining demand for premium electric cars and will continue to invest in its existing EVs rather than branching out into new segments.

He said: “Maserati has invested a lot in an electric roadmap in the past years and we produced two wonderful products: the Grecale Folgore and the Granturismo Folgore. Unfortunately, the acceptance from the market of BEV cars is low, so we are also affected, like all the other brands, by the low demand.

“But we developed great technologies in the past years for electrification and I think many of them are going to last. For example, this year, we are releasing the Grecale Folgore in an extended-range version, with additional kilometres of range, and we're going soon to do the same for the Granturismo. We are still developing our battery-electric vehicles to improve performance.”

He did not disclose any details about these extended-range EVs. The Grecale Folgore is currently offered with a 105kWh pack under the floor, giving an official range of 311 miles, while the electric Granturismo’s T-shaped battery has a usable capacity of 83kWh for an official 280 miles.

It remains to be seen whether Maserati will boost the capacity of these batteries to eke out more miles per charge, or whether the duo’s respective range figures will be extended by virtue of efficiency improvements elsewhere. 

Danesin said Maserati will continue to update its electric cars to keep pace with rivals and new technologies: “Of course, on the other side, we need to follow the roadmap of the technology. We know the technology is evolving and we are evolving. 

"We are going to follow the roadmap of cell evolution in the next years to continuously improve our products. Some other technologies that we developed on the current Folgore we are going to further refine and bring on. We are following our internal roadmap of continuous improvement.”

However, there are no plans to resurrect the cancelled MC20 Folgore project for the latest generation of the supercar, now called MCPura. Danesin said: "For the MC20, we took the decision already some time ago to stop the battery-electric version of it because of the situation of the market. 

“We think the current propulsion we are selling on the MC20 is fulfilling perfectly the real request from the market. So I think that we will not go on with any electric roadmap [on the MCPura] for the next few years. Then about the future we will see."