Maserati’s making a lot of noise about two developments, the MC20 super sportscar and this – the Ghibli Hybrid. To an untrained eye, this might look like a standard four-door sedan which sits below the Quattroporte in Maserati’s product tree. But that’s missing the point. The Ghibli Hybrid is all about the new powertrain as it becomes the first electrified model wearing the famous Trident logo. In the carmaker’s words, “the Ghibli Hybrid takes Maserati into the future without betraying the past”.

Let’s get straight into it. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The setup pumps out a maximum of 330 horsepower and 450Nm of peak torque. An eight-speed automatic handles transmission duties and feeds the oomph to the rear wheels. The sedan can sprint to 100kmph from nothing in 5.7 seconds and reach 255kmph flat out.

Those numbers are impressive. But the carmaker says there’s more to enjoy. The “unique Maserati roar” remains part of the package. In addition to that plus, the mild-hybrid system allows for decent fuel savings and a 25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions (according to WLTP test procedure), in comparison to the conventional, petrol-powered internal combustion engine. Also, the Ghibli Hybrid has the same pickup as the diesel variant, while the power and acceleration are similar to the 350hp V6 petrol mill.

Maserati has also injected a few design changes. Outside, the Ghibli Hybrid a bunch of dark blue-coloured elements, including the Brembo brake callipers and the thunderbolt in the Maserati logo on the C-pillar. Even the front grille is new. Depending on the trim chosen, it will have chrome or piano black finish. The sedan also debuts new taillamps clusters and a paint shade called Grigio Evoluzione. Indoors, the Ghibli Hybrid features 12-way powered seats in the front, draped in leather, a sports steering wheel, connected-car features courtesy of Maserati Connect, support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assist and a new 10.1-inch infotainment system.

The Ghibli Hybrid will be available in two trim levels – GranLusso and GranSport. As before, the list of features and a few design elements will differ between them. Maserati will commence production of the new variant in September this year, and the first set of cars should reach showrooms by the end of the following month. For the Japanese and Korean markets, production will start in February next year.