- Maserati has officially canceled plans for an electric MC20 Folgore supercar.
- The MC20 Folgore was originally announced in 2020 and was supposed to finally be launched in 2025.
- A tri-motor powertrain would have churned out at least 700 horsepower, but now the MC20 will continue exclusively with its twin-turbocharged V-6 powertrain.
UPDATE 3/6/25, 2:25 p.m.: This story has been updated with a statement from a Maserati spokesperson.
Once known for the roar of V-8 engines, Maserati has spent the past couple of years transitioning away from internal combustion and toward an all-electric future. But one element of those plans has now been scrapped after Stellantis recently canceled a roughly $1.5 billion investment in the brand. Maserati had aimed to introduce the MC20 Folgore, an electric version of its slinky supercar, this year. Instead, as first reported by Autocar, the MC20 Folgore has been officially canceled.
Maserati first announced its intention to create an electric supercar way back in 2020 when it first revealed the gas-powered MC20. At the time, the Italian automaker said an electric version would arrive shortly after the V-6-engined car went on sale and would pack a 700-hp tri-motor powertrain. But when the MC20 finally hit the streets for the 2022 model year, there was no news about the Folgore version.
Last year, Maserati gave us an update on the MC20 Folgore, revealing that it would be launched in 2025. But that project has been thrown in the scrap heap, with the company saying that the decision was “due to a perceived lack of commercial interest.” Maserati further explained that “Market studies for the super sports car segment and especially for MC20 customers has demonstrated that they are very keen on driving powerful ICE engines” and that they “are not ready to switch to BEVs for the foreseeable future.”
Autocar also reported that, instead of the Folgore, Maserati will give the gas-powered MC20 a thorough update that could include some of the upgrades found on the MC20 GT2 Stradale.
The cancellation of the MC20 Folgore as well as the retraction of funding by parent company Stellantis calls into question Maserati’s greater transition toward electrification, as well as the health of the brand as a whole. Last year, Maserati confirmed that the MC20 Folgore would be followed by a large electric SUV in 2027 and an electric successor to the long-running Quattroporte sedan, which had been delayed to 2028 from its originally scheduled 2024 launch. Given the setbacks Maserati’s EVs have already experienced, however, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising for the plans that Maserati announced last year to have already shifted.
Another interesting factor in the news of the MC20 Folgore’s death is the status of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, which shares its bones with the MC20. While the first gas-powered 33 Stradale was delivered last fall, the Alfa Romeo was also supposed to come with an electric version with 750 hp and a 240-mile range. However, with only 33 units of the supercar being built worldwide, it’s unclear if Alfa Romeo will follow through on the investment needed for only a handful of electric 33 Stradales.
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
