Maserati Cancels MC20 Folgore Amid Waning Demand
Reports have confirmed that the Maserati MC20 Folgore, an electric supercar initially intended to be part of six electric Maseratis by next year, has been officially cancelled. The cancellation follows reports last week by Autocar and is a direct response to insufficient demand for the electric supercar.
The Decision
A spokesperson for Maserati confirmed the decision, stressing that market dynamics, especially in the Chinese market, and slower-than-expected transition to electrification in the luxury market as the main reasons behind the cancellation. This comes after Stellantis, the parent company of Maserati, wrote off an investment of some €1.5 billion (£1.2bn) in the Italian brand, citing a slump in sales in China – its second-largest market after the US.
The Impact
The dip in sales, which resulted in Maserati’s sales falling by more than half last year to 11,300, further compounded the brand’s woes. The company also reported a net loss of €260 million (£215m), a stark contrast from a profit of €141m (£117m) recorded in 2023.
The Way Forward
In place of the MC20 Folgore, Maserati will enhance the existing MC20. The brand is likely to leverage developments from the new MC20 GT2 Stradale, which promises an extra 10bhp (boosting the model to 631bhp), 60kg in weight reduction, and a track-focused chassis set-up. The cancellation of MC20 Folgore signifies a potential shift in Maserati’s revival strategy formulated four years ago under Stellantis ownership, which aimed to phase out ICE cars by 2030. The decision also casts a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the next-generation Levante SUV, due in 2027, and the new Quattroporte saloon, which was previously delayed to 2028.
