Maserati MC20 Folgore to launch as convertible ‘Cielo’ first

Maserati will launch its forthcoming MC20 Folgore all-electric supercar as a convertible first, according to the firm’s Vehicle Line Executive Federico Landini.

Speaking to Auto Express at a technical briefing for the recently revealed MC20 Cielo convertible, Landini told us that “The BEV will come first as Cielo [a convertible]. We are working on the coupe, but the Cielo fits with the BEV, the sky, the feeling, the performance, it really is like a full coupe with the roof up.”

When it launched the MC20 two years ago Maserati showed a chassis buck with the Folgore electric version’s battery packaged behind the monocoque where the ICE model’s 3.0-litre twin-turbo ‘Nettuno’ V6 engine would usually sit.

While Landini didn’t comment on the size of the battery or the car’s intended range, he did confirm to Auto Express that the MC20 Folgore will use the same tri-motor powertrain as the brand’s forthcoming GranTurismo Folgore EV.

The firm’s head of product planning, Francesco Tonon has previously outlined that the GranTurismo Folgore will feature “way more than 1,200bhp installed power” so while the MC20 Folgore will likely be significantly heavier than its combustion-engined counterparts, it will also likely offer the strongest straight-line performance of any MC20 variant.

Tonon has previously stated that a 0-62mph time of less than 3.0 seconds will be possible for the GranTurismo Folgore, so the lighter all-electric MC20 should be even quicker still, rivalling cars such as the Lotus Evija.

Landini pointed out that like the MC20 Cielo’s carbon fibre monocoque compared with the coupe, while the Folgore model’s chassis dimensions will be identical the types of carbon fibres used in its construction and how they are laid up will change again to account for the specific requirement of an all-electric model. So too will the car’s front and rear subframes.

Maserati’s Grecale Folgore compact electric SUV will launch next year, followed by EV versions of the all-new GranTurismo and GranCabrio models in 2023 also. The MC20 Folgore supercar is set to make its debut by 2025, along with Folgore variants of the firm’s next-generation Quattroporte luxury saloon and Levante SUV.

Now read our review of the new Maserati MC20 here…