Maserati Debuts Levante Hybrid SUV at Shanghai Auto Show

Posted on 19 April 2021 by Ken Zino
Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Maserati Levante Hybrid SUV

Maserati Levante Hybrid is also present in a virtual world at the brand’s website houseof.maserati.com.

As the largest Auto Show in the world reopens – Shanghai 2021 – Maserati debuted the Levante Hybrid, the first electrified SUV in its history. The MC20, Maserati’s super sports car, also makes its first appearance at the Shanghai Auto Show alongside the global premiere of the F Tributo Special Edition.

“Shanghai Auto Show is an extremely important event for our Brand. The Show marks a rebirth in difficult times. We believe strongly in this new beginning, and today we are showcasing several world premieres that project us straight into the future,” said Maserati CEO Davide Grasso. (New FCA Italy Covid Credit Line €6.3 billion)

With the Chinese debut of Levante Hybrid, Maserati takes a step forward in its lagging strategy for electrification, which began last year with the Ghibli Hybrid. “Faster. Greener. Unique”, Levante Hybrid is faster than a diesel, more sustainable than diesel or gasoline, and unique in its specific characteristics, claimed Grasso.

The new hybrid SUV combines the 4-cylinder, 2-liter engine with a 48-volt Hybrid system to recover energy during deceleration and braking. The hybrid car weighs less than the 6-cylinder engine version (gasoline and diesel), and has better weight distribution, because of the rear-mounted battery.

There’s a claimed maximum power output of 330 horsepower, and torque of 450 Nm delivered from 2,250 rpm. The Levante Hybrid, only available with all-wheel drive, claims a top speed of over 240 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6 seconds.

The launch version is characterized has a new metallic tri-coat color called Azzurro Astro, available within the Maserati Fuoriserie customisation programme in the so-called Futura collection. This is a deep, bright iridescent color. In marketing babble “it is an interference color, varying from an intense sky blue in the sunlight to ash grey on surfaces in the shade.”

The Maserati Levante Hybrid is also present in the virtual world at the brand’s website houseof.maserati.com.

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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One Response to Maserati Debuts Levante Hybrid SUV at Shanghai Auto Show

  1. Pingback: Illustrious Road Trip – Maserati, Pacific Coast Highway and Four Seasons Hotels? | AutoInformed

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