MODENA, ITALY - Maserati has been in the SUV game for four years now with its Levante, but quite sensibly the Italian marque has set its sights on boosting volumes through a smaller crossover product.
At a presentation on Wednesday night, which saw the reveal of the new MC20 supercar, Maserati also announced that its upcoming SUV product will be called Grecale. The newcomer is named after the fierce north-east wind of the Mediterranean Sea and fittingly, this is not the first Maserati to be named after a strong wind - think Mistral, Ghibli, Hasmsin, Merac and Levante.
The Italian carmaker did not release any details on the newcomer, but did state that the vehicle is “destined to play a key role in the Brand’s development”.
According to Autocar, the Grecale will share a fair amount of its DNA, as well as an assembly line, with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, however it will be powered by Maserati engines rather than units sourced from Alfa.
In an interview with Autocar, Maserati’s global planning head Francesco Tonon promised that the Grecale would offer best-in-class performance, handling, design, practicality and features.
Expect the new compact SUV to make its debut in 2021.
While the Grecale will be predominantly petrol powered, an electric version is also expected to join the range further down the line.
Speaking of electrification, the new Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio are set to be the brand’s first completely electric cars. Maserati is also planning a battery-powered version of the MC20.