All-new Maserati Ghibli Hybrid revealed

In a nutshell - Maserati Ghibli Hybrid

• First ever ‘electrified’ Maserati
• The Ghibli Hybrid is a mild hybrid, featuring a battery-power ‘e-Booster’ as well as a turbo-charged 2.0 petrol engine.
• Maserati at pains to point out it will still sound like a Maserati, with none of the aural poetry throttled.
• 330 hp, torque of 450 Nm delivered from just 1,500 rpm, 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds.
• Developed by the Maserati Innovation Lab in Modena
• The vehicle will be produced at the Avvocato Giovanni Agnelli Plant (AGAP) at Grugliasco (Turin).

Maserati has thrown back the covers on the first ever electrified car in the manufacturer’s illustrious history.

And on first impressions, the Ghibli Hybrid has been worth the wait.

Maserati chiefs have been the purveyors of luxury Italian vehicles for more than a century, having first been founded back in 1914.

They’ve not thought to put a hybrid system into one of their coveted coaches… until now.

The new Ghibli mild hybrid features a turbo-charged 2.0 litre petrol engine married to an electric supercharger, or ‘e-Booster’, which is supported by a battery.

The firm says it’s a solution that’s ‘unique in its segment’, and adds that it’s ‘first in a new generation of powertrains, with the perfect trade-off between performance, efficiency and driving pleasure.’

As with most hybrid cars, Maserati is focused on improving grunt while also reducing fuel consumption and cutting emissions.

Remarkably, the Hybrid actually weighs 80kg less than the existing diesel-powered Ghibli.

And thanks to maximum power output of 330 hp, and torque of 450 Nm delivered from just 1,500 rpm, it’s no slouch.

The Ghibli Hybrid will accelerate from 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds and boasts a top speed of 158 mph.

You needn’t be worried about that trademark Maserati exhaust warble being stifled by the new powertrain, either.

A Maserati spokesperson assures: “Ghibli Hybrid occupants will still revel in the unmistakable sound that characterises all Maserati models, thanks to the optimised exhaust, which includes specially designed resonators.”

The new Ghibli Hybrid has also been given a subtle stylistic makeover.

There’s shades of blue on the three iconic side air ducts, the brake calipers and the thunderbolt in the oval that encloses the Trident on the rear pillar.

And the same blue colour reappears inside the car, in particular on the embroidered seams of the seats.

There’s also a redesigned front grille, with the bars now made to ‘represent a tuning fork, a musical device that emits a sound of extreme purity, and which also evokes the Trident symbol itself’, says Maserati.

Light clusters at the rear now take their cue from the 3200 GT from the late 90s and early Noughties, as well as the Alfieri concept car introduced in 2014.

There’s also a debut for Maserati’s new ‘Connect’ programme, which constantly performs checks on the car and monitors the Safety Security services in emergencies.

The Ghibli Hybrid isn’t a stab in the dark for Maserati either - it’s all part of the grand plan.

The spokesperson adds: “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.”

The car is due to go into production imminently, with pricing and release dates to follow.