Maserati Levante Plug-In Hybrid Is For Real
Originally published on EV Obsession.
The upcoming Maserati Levante crossover SUV will be offered as a plug-in hybrid, in addition to being offered as a gas-powered version, according to recent reports.
Interestingly, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Levante will utilize a similar system to the one that’s being deployed in the upcoming Chrysler Pacifica PHEV minivan.
The Levante will feature a 3.0 liter twin-turbo V-6 gas engine, and either 345 or 424 horsepower (depending on the engine variant chosen). The model will be released to US showrooms sometime around late summer.
Gas 2 provides more information:
Now, most Gas 2 readers are not your typical Maserati buyers. Sure, they are great cars, but they really are just overgrown Fiats. Even Maserati CEO Harald Wester told the press in Geneva that the Levante is for people who don’t want a another Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, BMW, or Lamborghini. He says the Levante will be for those who want something different in an SUV. The Levante is Italian, which should make it different enough. At least Maserati hopes so.
…According to Motor Trend, Wester told the assembled media in Geneva “A standalone program would be suicidal, so we have to look at FCA.” That statement offers a peek at what will become a trend in the auto industry over the next 5 – 10 years. Smaller companies simply don’t have the resources to develop batteries and plug-in hybrid technologies on their own, even though that technology will be crucial to meeting emissions and fuel economy standards in the near future. Fiat Chrysler intends to use the engineering that went into the Pacifica plug-in hybrid system throughout the companies range of vehicles.
The CEO predicted that under 6% of all buyers are likely to end up choosing the PHEV variant….
Pricing information has yet to be revealed, but is likely to be somewhere around that of the Porsche Cayenne S, one would think.
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