The pictures show what Maserati says is the first prototype stepping out for road trials in Modena, “to acquire vital data for the preparation of the final setup.” That sounds to us like the showroom version is close – expect an unveiling this year with sales from next year. By then there will have been a two-year hiatus since the old GranTurismo was killed off.
The car is still wearing its disguise so no design details can be made out, but you do not need details to see this is a large two-door coupe with long bonnet and the bulges in all the right places that made its predecessor such a popular choice.
Almost 29,000 of those were made from its launch in 2007 until it ended production in 2019, brought to a halt when Ferrari ran out of 4.7-litre V8s. More than 11,000 GranCabrio convertible versions of this first-gen car were produced in addition, and although Maserati doesn’t confirm it, a GranCabrio variant of the car you see here is surely a certainty.
What’s also certain is its power source, with Maserati spelling out that the new “GranTurismo will be the brand's first car to adopt a 100% electric solution.” However, this does not necessarily mean you will be not be able to buy a petrol variant.
The trident brand’s electrification strategy that began with the Ghibli hybrid is expected to move to full battery-electric power – but in addition to the same cars also being available with a combustion engine. Maserati has already confirmed this will be the case for the new supercar, the well-received MC20, and likely too for the new Grecale compact SUV, also to be launched this year. The GranTurismo, which will be built not in Modena but in the brand’s new electric-car factory in Turin, will be the first car to go down this route.