Photo: Maserati
Under the late Sergio Marchionne, both Alfa Romeo and Maserati were reborn from the ashes like a phoenix. But the thing is, neither brand has delivered the results that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was expecting, with an emphasis on the House of the Trident.
In many ways, Maserati has a hard time competing with rivals from more mainstream automakers. The best-selling Levante, for example, is obliterated by the 707-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and 650-horsepower Lamborghini Urus. The Quattroporte can match up with M760Li xDrive or S63. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio are as old as mud and lack in terms of performance.
As for the cheapest Maserati available right now, the Ghibli has a hard time convincing customers away from the E63 S and M5. For an automaker with so much pedigree and beautiful styling, Maserati has failed miserably to capture a piece of the market.
Like the late Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer Mike Manley told Automotive News “Maserati was treated for a period of time almost as if it were a mass-market brand, which it isn't and shouldn't be treated that way." In addition to ignoring what the consumers want, Maserati managed to lose some of its specialness as well.
Marchionne’s estimated that Maserati would sell 75,000 vehicles in 2018, but in the first nine months of the year, the Italian automaker managed to sell 26,400. Given these circumstances, the people in charge of Maserati now expect to deliver 50,000 vehicles by the end of the year. Some would call this figure ambitious, but at the end of the day, we all know that won’t happen.
Manley is looking at the future with optimism, expecting Harald Wester to make “some significant progress beginning in the second half of 2019.” The chief operating officer, who used to be chief technical officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles from September 2011 to October 2018, started his professional career at Volkswagen AG.
As much as we want to believe in Maserati pulling through, Wester isn’t known for turning an ailing brand around. A more hands-on approach from Manley would be beneficial, but time will tell what will happen to the House of the Trident.
As for the cheapest Maserati available right now, the Ghibli has a hard time convincing customers away from the E63 S and M5. For an automaker with so much pedigree and beautiful styling, Maserati has failed miserably to capture a piece of the market.
Like the late Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer Mike Manley told Automotive News “Maserati was treated for a period of time almost as if it were a mass-market brand, which it isn't and shouldn't be treated that way." In addition to ignoring what the consumers want, Maserati managed to lose some of its specialness as well.
Marchionne’s estimated that Maserati would sell 75,000 vehicles in 2018, but in the first nine months of the year, the Italian automaker managed to sell 26,400. Given these circumstances, the people in charge of Maserati now expect to deliver 50,000 vehicles by the end of the year. Some would call this figure ambitious, but at the end of the day, we all know that won’t happen.
Manley is looking at the future with optimism, expecting Harald Wester to make “some significant progress beginning in the second half of 2019.” The chief operating officer, who used to be chief technical officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles from September 2011 to October 2018, started his professional career at Volkswagen AG.
As much as we want to believe in Maserati pulling through, Wester isn’t known for turning an ailing brand around. A more hands-on approach from Manley would be beneficial, but time will tell what will happen to the House of the Trident.
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