Maserati Quattroporte and Levante axed, ending V8 era

Maserati has retired the Quattroporte saloon and Levante SUV, bringing an end to the Italian firm’s V8 era.

The smaller Ghibli saloon left production earlier this year, having been on sale since 2013. 

All three were based on the M156 platform, developed under Fiat’s ownership of Maserati, and had been built at the Mirafiori factory alongside the new Maserati Granturismo and Fiat 500e.

They were the final cars to offer the twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre ‘F134’ V8 designed by Ferrari, with the 572bhp engine bowing out in the Quattroporte Grand Finale (pictured below), a custom-built car for a US-based owner.

It means Maserati’s line-up now comprises just three core models: the Granturismo, Grecale SUV and MC20 supercar.

The firm said in a statement: “Maserati is in a transition period towards electrification with its Folgore BEV program. Today the Trident offers [the] Granturismo and Grancabrio in ICE and BEV versions [and the] Grecale in ICE, mild-hybrid and BEV versions, while we confirm that successors of the Quattroporte and Levante are also in preparation.”

The new electric-only Levante is expected to be Maserati’s next new product launch, given that the electric Quattroporte was recently delayed to 2028.

Davide Danesin, chief engineer of the Quattroporte and Granturismo, told Autocar that development was around halfway complete before it was pushed back. He called the car “an important problem for Maserati”, noting that it needed to be “outstanding from any perspective”.

Danesin highlighted EV range in particular as a hurdle for Maserati to overcome, suggesting it would want its flagship model to be capable of more than 600km (373 miles) between charges.

Maserati remains committed to going all-electric in 2028, despite the challenges it's facing with developing its next-generation cars.

The retirement of the Quattroporte and Levante comes days after Carlos Tavares, chief of parent company Stellantis, threatened that Maserati could be sold if its poor financial situation didn't improve.

“We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money,” he told reporters.

Stellantis later pushed back against Tavares's comments, releasing a statement read: “Stellantis reaffirms its commitment to all its powerful portfolio of 14 iconic brands and recalls that each of them has a 10 year time window to build a profitable and sustainable business, while we acknowledge that volatile markets and temporary situations may cause fluctuations.”

Maserati itself has acknowledged the hurdle that it must now overcome, saying: “Maserati is facing a major challenge and must remain focused on its objectives in the coming months.”