Updated 2021 Maserati Quattroporte to gain plug-in hybrid option

Maserati is gearing up to begin a bold 'new era' later this year but will give its Quattroporte saloon one more facelift before it enters a new generation in 2023.

This will be the second round of significant updates for the Italian firm's flagship luxury saloon, which launched in its current form in 2013 and was overhauled in 2016.

The headline change for the Quattroporte will be the introduction of a plug-in hybrid powertrain and the roll-out of WLTP-compliant exhaust filters across the line-up.

It's also likely the saloon will follow its smaller Ghibli stablemate in gaining Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities.

Camouflage on this prototype is light and restricted to the front end, suggesting any visual modifications to the exterior will be minor.

The 2021 Quattroporte looks to retain the current car's concave grille, crescent-shaped headlights and prominent trident badge, but a revised lower air intake looks to adopt a thicker surround, while the grille's 10 slats look to have been thickened up as well.

Elsewhere, the Porsche Panamera rival's design remains largely untouched, as is the case with the interior, which appears largely identical to that of the current car. The infotainment system, however, is likely to be revised for improved ease of use and to give access to the driver assistance functions.

Maserati recently announced it was postponing its bold brand relaunch from May to September, as the European car industry entered a state of shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event is likely to give us our first look at the updated Ghibli and Quattroporte, but the headline unveiling will be that of the new MC20 mid-engined sports car, which is set to make use of conventional, hybrid and electric powertrains.