New Maserati BiTurbo imagined...as an electric sedan

Italian luxury brand Maserati unveiled its first-ever electric car, the 2024 Grecale Folgore, earlier this week, kickstarting its move away from internal-combustion vehicles.

The unveiling of the Grecale (and the MC20) has also previewed its next-generation models, with a new GranTurismo expected to be followed by successors to the Quattroporte and Levante in the coming years.

With this in mind, a new pair of renderings by Theottle have imagined what an upcoming electric Maserati sedan could look like, reviving the iconic BiTurbo nameplate last applied to a two-door coupe with – as its name implies – a twin-turbocharged V6 engine.

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Maserati BiTurbo EV rendered by Theottle.

A four-door sedan version was also available with the same bi-turbo engine (albeit with slightly less power) and an 8.6 centimetre longer wheelbase.

Inspired by the all-new Grecale, the reimagined BiTurbo Folgore shares its ‘vertical’ design language with the medium SUV and the two-door MC20 sportscar, featuring; the trademark Maserati grille, high-mounted LED headlamps, traditional triple side air vents, and horizontal tail-lights.

An all-electric powertrain shared with the Grecale Folgore would sit underneath the body of the modern BiTurbo, based upon the modified Giorgio platform or a variation of Stellantis’s new EV-focused ‘STLA Large’ architecture.

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Above: 2024 Maserati Grecale Folgore

Following the end of ownership under Citroën, the BiTurbo was developed to ‘downmarket’ the Maserati brand to bring its vehicles closer to the common person. It replaced the mid-engined Merak in 1981, becoming the world’s first twin-turbocharged production vehicle, with assembly continuing to 1994.

While the return of the BiTurbo nameplate is likely to remain a pipe dream, rumours suggest Maserati is currently developing a successor to the current full-size Quattroporte. It is expected to offer both internal-combustion engines with hybrid power and a fully-electric Folgore variant.

A next-generation version of the smaller Ghibli is less certain, with Yahoo News reporting the slow-selling luxury sedan will soon end production – more than 10 years after the vehicle was introduced.

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Above: 2024 Maserati Grecale Folgore

Speaking with the publication, Francesco Tonon, head of product planning at Maserati, said: "There is still a very clear demand for sport sedans, but we believe that we can serve customers even better by substituting the Ghibli and the Quattroporte with just one new sport sedan.

“We strongly believe that there is a future for the sedan, but probably not for two sedans. One will be enough to meet demand.”

An all-electric line-up, dubbed ‘Folgore’ (Italian for ‘lightning’), will be offered across the Maserati range from 2025 before the marque goes EV-only in 2030.

The next-generation GranTurismo will become the second EV launched by the firm, developing more than 883kW of power, as part of a plan to be the “first luxury brand to complete the EV line-up”.