Will Supercars Really Go Electric? Maserati COO Ficili Thinks Not Yet

Forbes

a day ago

Despite some negative predictions, electric vehicle sales are still growing. The targets may have slipped due to a few unexpected global shocks, but the long-term trajectory is clear: most personal vehicle markets are heading inexorably towards electrification. However, one type of EV isn't selling as well as expected – electric supercars. A particularly telling sign of this was when premium Italian brand Maserati cancelled the electric version of its flagship supercar, the MC20. I talked to Maserati COO Santo Ficili about why this happened and what it means for the future of premium performance EVs.
Enter The Maserati MCPura
Instead of an electric MC20, at the Festival of Speed in the UK in July, Maserati launched an updated version of the existing car called the MCPura. 'The world is changing, so we need to serve our customer,' says Ficili. 'At this moment, we don't see particular demand for an electric supercar. The project is stopped for the moment, but we started already with the investment, so we will see in the future.' Ficili still considers caring for the environment as important and worthwhile with other models in its range. 'We have the Grecale, GranTurismo and GranCabrio Folgore.'
However, even the GranTurismo and GranCabrio Folgore are meeting with a tepid sales reception. In a separate conversation, Maserati's European Head Luca Parasacco told me that customers were not convinced about choosing either over their similarly priced fossil fuel-powered versions, even though these are not as powerful. 'This is a unique selling proposition,' says Filici, referring to the fact you can buy a Maserati GranTurismo or GranCabrio with either electric power or a V6. 'We are the only automaker offering this choice to our potential customers. I'm sure that we can improve the mix of BEV. But following the specific request of our customers is fundamental. We can't force them to move from internal combustion to BEV.'
Electrification can make for a thrilling driving experience, despite the lack of noise. I've been lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the two million Euro ($2.3 million) Rimac Nevera and it's the best car I've ever driven. Maserati's own GranTurismo and GranCabrio Folgore also provide an incredible driving experience, with immense power and handling allied with comfortable grand touring, depending on your mood at the time.
However, once you get into the territory of car buyers where money is no object, green credentials aren't really the point. A Rimac Nevera with 2,000hp that can hit 60mph in under 1.8 seconds is not there to save the planet, and neither is a Maserati GranTurismo with 760hp that takes 2.7 seconds. This is perhaps why Mate Rimac, the man behind the Nevera, who is now CEO of Bugatti, created a car that still has a combustion engine with the forthcoming Tourbillon. If you've got millions to spend on a car that you probably won't drive that much, it's all about the experience, rather than emissions – another point made by Maserati's Parasacco.
'Maserati is a luxury brand, and there is a difference between a premium brand and a luxury brand,' argues Filici. He explains that while the driving experience of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio is excellent, even on a track, their 'autonomy' (ie freedom to go anywhere, rather than meaning self-driving) is constrained by the amount of battery that can be installed due to space and weight limitations, and the still patchy charging network in many countries. This is a drawback for cars aimed at grand touring, even if they also offer extremely fast charging, as the Maseratis do. 'Our customers pay a lot of money, and we need to ensure the right autonomy. We are working on this.'
Should A Maserati Be A V8?
It's not just electrification that is proving problematic. Even Maserati's switch from its traditional V8 to the excellent V6 Nettuno met with concerns from purists. 'Customers are asking for the V8, but we need to respect the environment, and moving from the V8 to V6 goes in this direction. We need to develop engines continuously, and the V6 Nettuno is a good engine coming from Formula One. Everything is related to the performance of the car, in the soul of the Maserati brand. You can drive the MC20, like the GranTurismo and GranTurismo, in a grand tourism way. The cars are easy to drive, but as soon as you want power, you can push the throttle and have the power you need. People are complaining about the lack of a V8, but the V6 is not a step backwards.'
Nevertheless, the MCPura appears to be a reassertion of traditional Maserati heritage. 'We worked a lot around the name, because in the past, we had the MC12, referring to the kind of engine,' says Ficili. 'The MC20 refers to the fact that we launched the car in 2020. Now we want to do something different. An MC is the pure Maserati. Pura is the perfect name to represent the sense of the peak of our MC20.'
This is all part of a reinvigoration of the Italian brand. Ficili has been COO of Maserati for less than a year and is also CEO of Alfa Romeo. On arrival, he restructured his team. 'Then we immediately began looking at the current range, starting from the Grecale, GT, GC, MC, to MCXtrema,' he says. 'What can we do immediately? So new color, new interior, new wheels, everything that is easy to do. Next, we work on the competitiveness. The situation is not easy right now due to tariffs. We are trying to understand what is going to happen.'
The tariff uncertainty in America has been as problematic for Maserati as for other luxury brands selling into this lucrative region. 'The American market is fundamental for us,' says Ficili. 'We are delivering something close to 50% of our volume there, so we are paying a lot of attention to understanding the future following the decisions of President Trump.'
'In parallel, we are creating the future of Maserati,' Fucili adds. He currently won't reveal any details on this future other than that he has confidence in Maserati's plans. 'We need to keep Maserati where this brand deserves to be, considering the glory, the story, the legacy, that is unique in the world,' he says. 'Together with Alfa Romeo, we have this fantastic narrative. We need to start from this, imagining, dreaming a new future.'
Does Maserati Still Have An Electric Future?
This still leaves a big question mark over Maserati's plans for electrification, considering how negative the current US administration is towards EVs and anything to do with sustainability. 'We don't know what is going to happen the future,' says Ficili. 'I'm not sure that the transition from the current situation to BEV will be so fast as we were imagining two or three years ago, but that's still the direction. We don't have any other choice.'
Some parts of the luxury market seem like a more natural fit for EVs than sports cars. An electrified Rolls Royce like the Spectre is perfect – smooth, quiet, and effortlessly quick. Most buyers of this kind of brand don't purchase them to hear engine noise. Even with the internal combustion versions, you can barely detect the motor.
Ficili thinks the current range of engine choices is confusing for buyers. 'We need to change the brain of the potential customer, because now they must understand the difference between BEV, HEV, MHEV, plugin hybrids, internal combustion, diesel,' he says. 'If you test the GranTurismo Folgore compared with the IC, it's mostly the same. It's a question of how you are going to use the car. There is a question of residual value, too. Because no one knows what the future value of BEVs will be.'
There was some talk of Maserati being spun off parent company Stellantis again, but Ficili is quick to deny these rumors. 'Maserati will be part of Stellantis range,' he says. 'It's the only real Italian luxury brand in the group. Everything is done in Italy. Design, production, everything in Modena. This will be forever the heart of Maserati. That's the reason why we are moving the production of GranTurismo and GranCabrio from Torino to Modena, coming back home, where we have the competencies of our people - blue collar and white collar. That will be forever the lineage and positioning in the brand. Coming back to our glory story, our legacy of racing that is part of the DNA of Maserati. We need to start from this story to create the future of this brand – our heritage. We do need to fix the economics first and make money. After that, the sky's the limit.' How much of that sky will be electric remains to be seen.