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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