Semiconductor shortages have led Maserati to delay the premiere of its important Grecale crossover.
Originally set to be revealed on November 16, 2021, the Grecale’s premiere has now been delayed to “spring 2022” – in other words, somewhere between March and May of next year.
“Due to the shortage of semiconductors, the quantity of production would not allow us to respond properly to the expected global demand,” the company said.
Maserati is evidently unwilling to drop features that require semiconductor chips, as some brands have been doing, boasting the Grecale has “ground-breaking contents, particularly in the connectivity and human-machine interface areas”.
The Grecale follows the MC20 supercar in Maserati’s latest effort to reinvigorate the Maserati brand.
It’ll be built on the same Giorgio rear-wheel drive platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and will go head-to-head with the Porsche Macan.
Maserati has already confirmed that, like the Ghibli, Levante and Quattroporte, it’ll have a high-performance Trofeo flagship, though it hasn’t revealed what’ll power it.
The Trofeo variants of the Ghibli and Quattroporte use a Ferrari-built twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre petrol V8 engine producing 433kW of power and 730Nm of torque, while the Levante Trofeo produces 441kW.
Another possibility is the Ferrari-developed twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 used in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which produces 375kW of power and 600Nm of torque.
A third possibility is a detuned version of Maserati’s new ‘Nettuno’ twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6, developed in-house for the MC20 supercar.
In the MC20, it’s mid-mounted and produces 463kW and 730Nm.
Any of these powertrains would put the Grecale Trofeo in good stead in this segment, with the BMW X3 and X4 M Competition models producing 375kW and 650Nm and the current Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S putting out 375kW and 700Nm.
Maserati has previously confirmed the Grecale will also offer an all-electric Folgore variant to rival the likes of the BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz EQC.
The Grecale is a crucial new model for Maserati as it could represent a new entry point to the brand, depending on how it’s priced.
The base Ghibli is Maserati’s most affordable model in many markets, though here it’s undercut by the entry-level Levante 350.
There’s been no indication yet of pricing for the Grecale, however it’ll likely undercut the Levante 350 which opens at $127,000 before on-roads.
It’ll also likely be priced above the Stelvio, the core model range of which is priced from $64,950 to $78,950 before on-roads.
The flagship Quadrifoglio rings up at $146,950 before on-roads, while the 2022 Porsche Macan range slots neatly in between this price gap.
