Competitor Porsche Macan: Maserati will show Grecale before winter

The novelty of the Italian brand, after entering the market, will be one step lower in the hierarchy than the Levante crossover.

Owned by auto giant Stellantis, the Maserati brand is one of those whose sales in the old-world market have been declining over the past few years. Of course, the “COVID” year 2020 was no exception: customers bought 3,435 units during the specified period, which is almost 40% less than in the previous year. Positive dynamics “sparkled” this year: from January to July (more recent data is not yet available), dealers sold 2,455 cars in Europe, which is almost 44% more than a year earlier.

The Italian company shared its plans for the future at the beginning of last autumn: at the same time, the management also noted the fact of developing a new crossover, which in the brand hierarchy will be one step below the Levante SUV. Maserati has officially revealed the name of the future novelty – Grecale. Recall that she received this name in honor of the gregal (the so-called strong cold northeast wind of the Mediterranean Sea).

Now the company has announced the date of the Maserati Grecale presentation: the serial version of the model will be shown in less than two months – on November 16th. Note that earlier only pictures of carefully disguised prototypes appeared on the Web, so the details of the appearance of the new crossover still remain a secret.

Based on previously released images, the Grecale will have a long bonnet, a sloping roofline with a spoiler above the tailgate and short overhangs. It is known that this SUV, in contrast to the “big brother” – the Levante crossover – the doors will receive glass frames, as well as flush-mounted door handles. There are several integrated air intakes in the lower part of the front bumper, a branded radiator grille in the traditional place, in addition, the model will stand out among others with “slanting” rounded headlights.

The Maserati Grecale is based on the Georgio platform, on which the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio models “related” to the new crossover are based. By the way, this Italian brand is now also owned by the auto giant Stellantis, and was previously part of the FCA concern (now this name has been abolished).

So far, there is still no official data on the Grecale “technique”. According to preliminary information, the basic version of the SUV will receive a 2.0-liter engine in two boost options of 330 and 350 hp. (as part of a mild hybrid power plant). It is possible that the “rich” versions will have a 3.0-liter V6 biturbo engine from the Maserati MC20 under the hood. Recall that the sports car has a return of 630 hp, maximum torque – 730 Nm. It is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch DCT automatic transmission.

Maserati Grecale production will be launched at the Cassino plant (Alfa Romeo cars are now produced here). The new SUV will be put into production in the coming months. The prices of the Italian crossover will be known later. Porsche Macan and Jaguar E-Pace are tipped as the main competitors of the model. In one of the largest European markets, in Germany, the cost of these cars now starts at 62,917 and 38,790 euros, respectively (equivalent to about 5.37 million and 3.31 million conventional units at the current exchange rate).