Maserati has postponed its electrifying ‘new era’ brand relaunch
Maserati has delayed its major brand relaunch until September 2020, as the global automotive industry enters a period of uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus crisis.
The Italian luxury carmaker had initially planned to unveil its electrification agenda in May, at an event titled 'MMXX: The Way Forward' to be held in its hometown of Modena, Italy.
The same event will still take place but has been postponed to September "in light of the current situation", with Maserati promising to present "the future of mobility" from the place it has called home for more than 80 years.
"Your safety is our top priority," Maserati tweeted of the time change. "Same place. Same magic. New date."
Your safety is our top priority.
Same place. Same magic. New date.#Maserati #MaseratiMMXX #MaseratiMC20 https://t.co/S7CB5N6dcp pic.twitter.com/nyjaJEW4BR
— Maserati (@Maserati_HQ) March 18, 2020
The House of the Trident was set to use the Modena event to unveil the MC20, its all-new mid-engined, two-seater supercar. MC20 is an acronym for 'Maserati Corse 2020', while 'corse' translates to 'racing' in Italian.
Maserati has already teased blurry photos of an MC20 prototype, with the production model to be built at the company's Modena plant, acting as something of a successor to the MC12 racing car.
The Italian marque had also previously suggested the MMXX event would feature the debut of a new drivetrain developed by its Innovation Lab, as well as the brand's plans for how electrification would play into its existing range of sports cars, SUVs, supercars and sedans.
Maserati has previously announced that its first electrified model will be a plug-in hybrid version of the new Ghibli sedan, expected later this year.
That will be followed by a fully-electrified second-generation GranTurismo in 2021 and an electric GranCabrio in 2022.
Both will be manufactured at Maserati's Mirafiori production plant, with the brand recently investing 800 million euros (roughly AUD$1.46 million) toward transforming the plant into a hub for its new electrified vehicles.
Maserati joins a slew of car brands forced to postpone or cancel scheduled events as the industry is hit by production delays, staffing issues, travel bans and slowing sales caused by COVID-19.
Italy has been one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus, with over 41,000 confirmed cases at time of publishing, and 3405 deaths.