Maserati Cancels The Electric MC20 Folgore Before It Was Even Revealed Because Nobody Wanted It
Maserati had big EV plans. Emphasis on had. The brand's plan to go fully electric with a lineup of Folgore models (Italian for lightning) were announced in mid 2022. Maserati said it was going to introduce six new EVs in the following three years, two of which would be all-new models while the other four were to be electric versions of existing models.
Three years later and reality has set in. EV sales have slowed, multiple automakers have changed plans by canceling EVs completely or scaling back goals in favor of developing hybrids. Only three of Maserati's Folgore EVs came to market: The Grecale, the GranTurismo and the GranCabrio, all electric versions of existing gas-powered cars. The Quattroporte Folgore has been delayed, and neither of the all-new models have been shown. And now we have confirmation that another one of those planned Folgore models will never see the light of day. The Folgore version of the MC20 supercar, which was first announced back in 2020, has been canceled before it was even revealed due to an unfortunate combination lack of demand and financial troubles.
Financial realities and demand
The UK's Autocar broke the news about the cancellation of Maserati's electric supercar. Maserati's worldwide sales dropped over 57 percent in 2024, going from 26,600 cars moved in 2023 to 11,300 units last year. As a result, Stellantis wrote off a planned £1.2-billion investment in the brand, which put the future of those Folgore models in jeopardy. While some of the other models may just be on hold, Maserati confirmed to Autocar that the MC20 Folgore is canceled, and it's due to lack of demand. Apparently not many people want an electric supercar, even fewer want one from Maserati.
MC20 sales as a whole haven't been great. Sure, it's a six-figure supercar, but dealers seem to be struggling to move them. Many dealers have slashed thousands off the sticker prices of MC20s in their inventories, many of which are one to two models years old.
What's next for Maserati and the MC20
In place of the electric MC20, Autocar says that Maserati will just make the gas version of the supercar better. Using lessons learned from the GT2 Stradale, the regular MC20 will get heavily updated, which should give the car more power from its 621-horsepower twin-turbo V6.
Maserati's recent financial troubles aren't just affecting the brand's EV plans — the future of some of Maserati's other models is in doubt now too. The next generation of the Levante SUV, a model that's been around with few major updates since its 2017 introduction, is supposedly coming in 2027 if plans still pan out. The next generation of the Quattroporte, which the Ghibli died for, was due out this year but has been delayed until 2028.