High-class sports car brand discontinues TWO popular motors as it aims to go ‘all-electric’ by 2028
A HIGH-end sports car brand has discontinued two of its most popular motors as it races to meet its EV-only target by 2028.
The move will end a 65-year tradition after the firm did away with the third model in the set earlier this year.
Maserati first introduced V8 engines for its road-going cars in 1959, though it had been using them in racecars since the ’30s.
Since 2002, the power units have been produced collaboratively with Ferrari, most recently incorporated into Maserati’s M156 platform.
However, the company has confirmed that it’s the end of the road for its V8 models as it hurtles towards an all-electric lineup.
The last two remaining V8s, the beloved Quattroporte and the Levante SUV, will not be renewed for a new generation.
Maserati has released a Grand Finale edition of the former as a curtain call for the engine – a one-off custom for a buyer in the US.
The pair will join the Ghibli on the cutting room floor after it went out of production earlier this year after a decade on sale.
This leaves the brand with only four cars in its range at the moment, those being the Granturismo, Grecale, Grancabrio and MC20 (as well as their associated variants).
The move is designed to set the stage for a full electrification of the brand within the next few years.
Electric variants of the two discontinued models are already “in preparation” to sit alongside the EV versions of the Grecale, Granturismo and Grancabrio.
The electric Levante is expected to come first after it was confirmed that the Quattroporte EV had been delayed until 2028.
A Maserati spokesperson said: “Maserati is in a transition period towards electrification with its Folgore BEV program.
“Today the Trident offers [the] Granturismo and Grancabrio in ICE and BEV versions [and the] Grecale in ICE, mild-hybrid and BEV versions, while we confirm that successors of the Quattroporte and Levante are also in preparation.”
It comes after an extremely rare Ferrari that has covered just one mile a day since it was made went up for sale.