Meet The Maserati GranCabrio Folgore, The World’s First Electric Luxury Convertible
The 818-horsepower EV was “made in thunder.”
Maserati’s resurrected GranCabrio nameplate has laid claim to a world first. Upon the next-gen Maserati GranCabrio’s debut earlier this year, it was predicted that the luxe convertible would receive an all-electric variant dubbed “Folgore”—the Italian marque uses its native word for “lightning” to denote its EVs.
Indeed, the GranCabrio Folgore arrives as the world’s first production luxury convertible. In terms of styling, it’s very similar to its ICE sibling, which runs a 542-horsepower tune of the excellent Nettuno V6.
The “confango,” a portmanteau of “cofano” and “parafango” combines the notably long hood and the fender into one clean piece. The body is divided beautifully into an upper and lower half by the four fenders, and up front, near the 3D Trident logo, are vertical lights—a signature of Maserati’s modern era.
According to Car and Driver, the GranCabrio Folgore’s 818-hp, tri-motor powertrain is very closely related to the GranTurismo Folgore coupe’s. The outlet expects performance to be similarly blistering as well, with a 60-mph time of 2.7 seconds, a quarter-mile time under 11.0 seconds, and a driving-range estimate around 240 miles per charge.
The brand’s 800-volt architecture and battery pack are unique when compared to others utilized in EVs. C&D reports that this T-shaped battery is designed to fit inside what would otherwise be the transmission and driveline tunnel, helping to avoid the sort tall seating heights common in electric cars with the traditional layouts.
As with the Nettuno-powered GranCabrio, the roof can be deployed in 14 or closed in 16 seconds by either swiping and holding an index finger on the 8.8-inch comfort display or by holding a button when driving at speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph). The seats contain neck warmers that blow warm air while the top is down, while an optional wind stopper can be fitted behind the front seats to mitigate turbulence.
In addition to the 8.8-inch comfort display, there’s a 12.3-inch central display that can be used to connect up to two phones via Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Baidu Carlife.
A 12.2-inch digital with dashboard wraps around the steering wheel for maximum visibility, and the customizable head-up display projects speed, maps, directions and other timely information directly on the windshield. A 16-speaker Sonus Faber sound system are standard, but a 19-speaker setup is also available as an option.
Prices weren’t revealed, but C&D estimates that the Maserati GranCabrio will start at around $220,000 when it hits dealerships late this year or in early 2025.