Ghibli Hybrid debuts as the first electrified Maserati

Maserati, which had announced plans for electrification of its vehicle range early this year, has revealed its first hybrid model, the Ghibli Hybrid. The new Maserati Ghibli Hybrid marks the Italian marque’s entry into a new era focusing on sustainable mobility.

Fans of the brand’s cars will find it difficult to come to terms with the idea of a silent, all-electric car with a Trident logo. While fully electric powertrains are in the works, thankfully the Ghibli Hybrid still retains the brand’s characteristic exhaust note thanks to the petrol-electric setup and specially designed resonators.

The hybrid model’s styling has been tweaked by the Centro Stile Maserati, with blue accents distinguishing it from the regular Ghibli. The new front grille, with bars redesigned to represent a tuning fork, the side air ducts and the brake callipers in blue, and the thunderbolt in the oval that encloses the Trident on the rear pillar all point to the car’s hybrid powertrain.

Out back, the light clusters have been completely restyled, with a boomerang-like profile inspired by the 3200 GT and the Alfieri concept car.

The blue theme is carried over to the cabin too, with the seams of the seats embroidered in the colour.

In keeping with the brand’s performance oriented DNA, Maserati has chosen a mild hybrid setup that it says focuses on improving performance, while also reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The hybrid technology exploits kinetic energy the car accumulates when in motion, recovering it and transforming it into electricity during deceleration and braking, and storing it in a battery.

The hybrid setup combines a 2.0-litre four-cylinder internal combustion engine with a 48 volt alternator and an additional electric supercharger (e-Booster), supported by a battery. The system has a maximum power output of 330 horsepower and torque of 450Nm delivered from just 1,500 rpm, propelling the Ghibli Hybrid to a top speed of 255kph and acceleration from 0 to 100kph in 5.7 seconds.

Ghibli Hybrid also marks the debut of the new Maserati Connect program, which enables information exchange when on the move, to improve the services offered to the driver. The Maserati Intelligent Assistant multimedia system, based on digital inputs from Android Automotive, promises to deliver a fully customisable user experience. The new Ghibli Hybrid represents the first step in a plan that will lead to the electrification of all new Maserati models. The Brand's first all-electric cars will be the new GranTurismo and GranCabrio, scheduled for 2021.