Despite not being a fan of EVs, FCA boss Sergio Marchionne said that an electric version of the Maserati Alfieri could hit the market.
“I’ve always thought the economic model that supports Tesla is something that Fiat Chrysler could replicate as we have the brand and the vehicles to do it,” Marchionne told Bloomberg Television. “I think that to use one of our potential cars as an experiment in this area is interesting.”
According to FCA’s latest production plans, the Maserati Alfieri isn’t expected to enter the market before 2018 with an electric version to follow a couple of years after. The only clue that Marchionne gave was that the electric Alfieri isn’t scheduled until after he retires from his position as CEO in 2019.
“I’m not as convinced as some others are about the fact that electrification is the solution for all of man’s ills,” said Marchionne. “We need to experiment as we are doing now with connected cars and mobility as electrification is one of the potential answers.”
As for the petrol-powered Alfieri model, this is going to be built upon a modified and lighter version of the platform used in the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante and most likely share some of their powertrains.
Fiat is also working on producing a compact electric car for the European market, with the boss promising the addition of more hybrid models too. The first model to gain a hybrid powertrain will be Maserati’s new SUV, the Levante.
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