Maserati debuts Grecale SUV with V6, hybrid and electric powertrains – The Peninsula

Maserati debuts Grecale SUV with V6, hybrid and electric powertrains – The Peninsula

Italian luxury-car maker Maserati SpA’s all-new Grecale SUV is aimed squarely at the Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLE.

"Our Grecale will beat the best performance vehicles from Stuttgart, Germany-you know who I’m talking about,” Maserati Americas CEO Bill Peffer said at a press preview in Los Angeles March 21. Both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are headquartered in that Shwabian industrial city.

With prices starting in the low $60,000 range, the midsize sports utility vehicle shares a platform with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and comes with the choice of a V6 engine or a four-cylinder mild-hybrid engine in which an electric drive assists with fuel economy but does not power the car on its own. A full-electric version is planned for the fall of 2023. Both Alfa Romeo and Maserati are owned by Stellantis NV, the parent company formed in 2021 to include 14 brands including Chrysler and Jeep.

The new vehicle comes with five drive modes, multiple driver-assist programs, Android and Apple CarPlay, and, in some models, 21-inch wheels and a panoramic sunroof. It is the 107-year-old brand’s second SUV, after the larger, $81,800 Levante that debuted in 2011 and comprised 60% of Maserati sales globally last year. Peffer expects the Grecale to take