During Monterey Car Week 2023 this week in California, Maserati S.p.A. is celebrating its history and future vehicles, among the highlights being the global unveiling of the track-only MC20-derived hypercar called MCXtrema. The brand will also celebrate 75 years of the GranTurismo that began with the A6 1500 and continues with a new coupe revealed last Fall, with the North American debuts of the two one-offs—the Luce and Prisma.

Most importantly for the future, the brand’s new focus on electrification will be represented by its first all-electric race car, the Gen3 Tipo Folgore, which competed in Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship this year, and its first all-electric road car in the GranTurismo Folgore. Folgore is Italian for Thunderbolt. Maserati says that by 2025 its models will come in a full-electric version, and its entire range will run on only electricity by 2030.

The new GranTurismo’s vehicle architecture makes extensive use of lightweight materials such as aluminum, magnesium, and “high-performance” steel. The multi-material approach required new manufacturing processes, resulting in claimed best-in-class weight levels.

Developed at the Maserati Innovation Lab and produced at the Mirafiori manufacturing hub in Turin, the GranTurismo is still available with a V6 Nettuno internal combustion engine in 490-hp Modena and 550-hp Trofeo versions.

However, the EV is the primary focus here. Its powertrain is based on 800-V technology with three 300-kW permanent magnet motors driven by silicon carbide inverters derived from Formula E technology. Its battery, produced at the Mirafiori Battery Hub assembly plant in Turin, has a nominal capacity of 92.5 kW·h and a discharge capacity of 610 kW, to continuously transmit more than 566 kW to the wheels.

The shape of the battery pack, in a “T-bone” form around the central tunnel and occupants, was chosen to avoid placing the modules under the seats to considerably lower the car’s H-point (driver hip point) and to contain vehicle height to just 1353 mm (53.3 in). The Folgore is said to sit lower than any other electric car on the market.

According to Maserati, the battery layout improves car maneuverability, with the mass positioned close to the car’s roll axis. It says that the “axial geometry” of the battery makes changes of direction much faster than in cars with “a platform battery distributed throughout the body.”

The 0.28-Cd/Cx aerodynamic drag of the GranTurismo, enabled by air springs with attitude control and airflow control inside the engine compartment via air shutter, is improved to 0.26 in the Folgore. The EV gets specific splitters, dedicated wheels in diamond-cut gloss black, and front diffusers to improve drag by about 7% to improve range. A specific air inlet between the bumper and wheel arch reduces turbulence. The 20-in front and 21-in rear wheels are designed for the best aerodynamics.

 

Three e-motors by Marelli

Marelli supplies Folgore’s three e-motors for total outputs of 895 kW and 1350 N·m (996 lb·ft). Said to be one of the most compact e-motor solutions on the automotive market, they were developed and are produced in-house by Marelli at its Modugno plant in Bari, Italy. Both the product and the efficient manufacturing process were developed in a two-year span, said by the company to be a record time to market.

“Our long-standing technical know-how in electric motors, combined with continued focus on innovation and established manufacturing capabilities were all key factors in allowing us to develop the best solution to grant the extraordinary performance of this unique car,” said Hannes Prenn, President and CEO of Marelli’s Vehicle Electrification Division.

The e-powertrain system features one motor on the front axle and two on the rear e-axle. The two “totally decoupled” rear motors enable torque vectoring to adjust the car’s yaw (rotation) not only when accelerating but also when the pedal is released and when braking. The system acts in a similar way to a sophisticated electronically controlled differential, but in this case, the potential and the level of control are said to be considerably higher.

The motor’s 9.2-kW/kg power density enables one of the best weight/power ratios on the market, the results achieved through the use of innovative technologies for the stator, rotor, and overall design.

In the stator, higher power density and efficiency are provided by a new cutting-edge solution for the hairpin windings, which are made up of solid conductors. This benefits electromagnetic and thermal performance, starting from a higher filling factor of greater than 80%, compared to classic wire-winding solutions.

For the rotor, the optimization of magnets and rotor geometry allows for a reduction of noise, vibration, and magnetic cogging. This is thanks to a skew of the laminate stack based on the use of specific segmented magnets to reduce magnet losses.

Another innovative technique reduces the risks associated with shaft current, derived from the different potentials between the e-motor shaft and the chassis that can cause current circulation and therefore potential danger to the bearings.

At Modugno, a rotor production cryogenic cooling process reaching a temperature of about -200°F (-128°C) improves shaft fit into the stack. The stator manufacturing process is unique due to the hairpin’s two-step 2D and 3D forming.

An end-of-line station tests every e-motor before it is delivered to Maserati, assessing its electrical characteristics as well as mechanical and noise, vibration, and harshness performance. This adds to the over 70 quality checks that are performed during the entire production process on the most important steps, 41 of which are fully automated.

 

Interior design help by Aquafil and Sonus faber

Maserati says that the Folgore is designed for those who “seek to lead the way,” so it offers the use of sustainable materials such as Aquafil S.p.A.’s Econyl, a recycled nylon using nets recovered from the seas as an example of the potentially infinite circularity of the material. The material accents the seats, ceiling, and pillars.

The exclusive Maserati version of the material has a unique, highly opaque surface combined with laser processing. The dashboard and door panels feature a “high-frequency” leather laser printing technology from high-end leather goods and are said to be featured in a car for the first time.

All GranTurismos have a new Atlantis High electrical/electronic architecture based on canFD messages sent at speeds of up to 2 ms. The system comes with advanced level-five cybersecurity and flash over-the-air features. The center is the VDCM (Vehicle Domain Control Module) master controller, a “100% Maserati project” consisting of the software that provides 360° control of the most important car systems for the best driving experience.

The GranTurismo’s cabin is equipped with an MIA (Maserati Intelligent Assistant) multimedia system, its latest infotainment, a comfort display that brings together the main functions in an integrated touchscreen interface, a digital clock, optional head-up display.

Sonus faber, the “Italian artisans of sound,” provides the premium audio system standard in every GranTurismo and the optional “high premium” system. The standard 860-W system uses 14 speakers, while the optional system offers two levels of customization giving it up to 19 speakers, 2D and 3D surround sound, with an output of up to 1195 W and better depth-of-field. The premium system also offers the signature sound of the Maserati internal combustion engine in the EV thanks to the work of engineers at the Maserati Innovation Lab.