Hybrid Version of Maserati SUV to Use Chrysler Pacifica Electric System

Fiat Chrysler Automobile NV’s Maserati confirms it is developing a plug-in hybrid variant of its new Levante SUV/crossover.

The Levante hybrid could launch as soon as the end of 2017 and will share electrical components with the hybrid version of the new Chrysler Pacifica minivan, CEO Harald Wester tells Motor Trend. Developing a hybrid drivetrain in-house would have been “suicidal” for a low-volume producer such as Maserati, Wester notes.

The Pacifica hybrid is due later this year. It’s expected to have an all-electric driving range of about 30 miles. FCA also plans to use the electrical architecture for other upcoming models.

Maserati began building the base Levante—the luxury brand’s first crossover—earlier this month at its Mirafiori plant in Italy. The vehicle will arrive in European showrooms in May, followed by shipments to China and the U.S. in the summer. Engine choices will include two versions of Maserati’s turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 tuned to make 350 hp or 430 hp, plus a diesel V-6 in Europe.

A high-performance version of the Levante also is being considered, but costs concerns make such a model unlikely at this time, Wester acknowledges.