Maserati Levante to Get Pacifica's Plug-In Powertrain
Maserati’s new luxury SUV is going to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain sourced from the new Chrysler Pacifica.
Speaking with Motor Trend, Maserati boss Harald Wester said that developing a standalone powertrain would “be suicidal so we have to look at FCA.” The powertrain uses a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery that allows the Pacifica to travel up to 30 miles on electricity alone and achieve around 80 MPGe.
Wester believes that the plug-in powertrain will account for less than six percent of the total sales mix. A high-performance version of the Levante is also still under consideration, though Wester said the brand has decided to delay the decision for a while.
SEE ALSO: 2017 Maserati Levante Video, First Look
Initially, the Levante will be available with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with either 345 horsepower or 424 hp. A 3.0-liter diesel will also be available in world markets but will not come to the U.S.
Levante production began just this week in Italy to prepare for its European on-sale date of May. The SUV will arrive in the U.S. around the end of August.
[Source: Motor Trend]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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