Maserati Grecale teaser released; debut later this year

KUALA LUMPUR: Maserati is on a mission to electrify all its models within the next five years alongside adding an all-new SUV to its lineup called Grecale. Back in September, the Italian automaker dropped the first teaser of the upcoming SUV and revealed a few things about it. Well today, we have in front of us a trio of teaser shots previewing the Maserati Grecale first time on the road.

The camouflaged prototype of the upcoming SUV hit the streets outside the company’s Modena plant, and the clicked photographs were given to the employees, to let them share on their social media accounts. However, Maserati does not want to reveal the car fully at this time, that’s why the pictures are pretty blurry.

The images revealed that the upcoming SUV will not have any new design language, rather it will rely on the same Maserati styling cues with a bigger grille upfront. The rear end of the SUV just looks like a shrunk version of the Levante as it sports a similar diffuser, tailgate, and quad-exit exhaust system.

According to the automaker, the Grecale prototype is currently undergoing road, circuit, and off-road testing. These intensive tests are taking place in various situations to acquire data for the final version. As per the planning, the production-spec Grecale will be assembled at the company’s Cassino plant, which recently received an investment of €800 million (more than RM 3 billion) for renovation.

The SUV will slot below the mid-size Levante in the brand's SUV lineup and will borrow the 'Giorgio' platform from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Under the bonnet, the Grecale will feature the same twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6  'Nettuno' engine that made its debut with the MC20 last year, however, a  different state of tune is expected for the SUV. The Nettuno is likely to get paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive setup already available in the Stelvio. The company also has plans to bring a pure electric version of the Grecale, just like the supercar.

The Grecale SUV will launch later this year and is expected to rival the likes of the BMW X3 and Porsche Macan.

Also read: Special-edition Maserati Levante with Ermenegildo Zegna interior launched in Malaysia