Maserati has abandoned plans for an electric version of its MC20 supercar, citing concerns over insufficient buyer demand.
The news was first reported on March 6 by Evo, which referenced an official statement from the automaker. And it comes just a week after Maserati’s parent company, Stellantis, announced 1.5 billion euros (approximately $1.63 billion) of write-downs related to the brand.
“The project was stopped due to the current forecast for insufficient demand in the super sports car market for a battery electric vehicle,” the statement read.
Just a year ago, Maserati was aiming to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2028 and had already begun phasing out its gas engines. The V-8 was discontinued last year. However, EV demand has been growing more slowly than expected—and even declining in some markets.
2022 Maserati MC20
Maserati’s outlook appears grim, with sales of its gas-powered vehicles also struggling. The brand’s total sales dropped from 26,600 vehicles in 2022 to just 11,300 in 2023. Financially, Maserati went from profits of 141 million euros ($152 million) to a loss of 260 million euros ($281.5 million) over the same period. The poor performance has caused rumors of a potential sale of Maserati to flare up again.
Maserati currently offers electric versions of its Grecale compact crossover and GranTurismo and GranCabrio sports cars, with their electric powertrains marketed under the Folgore name. In addition to the electric MC20, Maserati had also planned fully electric next-generation versions of the Quattroporte and Levante.
However, given shifting market dynamics, the automaker may reconsider its strategy for the new Quattroporte and Levante. Many competitors have already walked back plans to go fully electric and now intend to continue selling gas-powered cars well into the next decade.