Photo: Maserati
In today’s edition of “What’s Been Marchionne Up To,” the chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler let it slip that Maserati could’ve done better with the Levante. Not the car per se, but the world debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
Speaking to Motor Trend, the sweater-wearing head honcho had the following to say: “Very poor execution. I think we sucked at the launch of the Levante.” Read what you will into that, but the Geneva premiere is the least of the Levante’s worries.
First things first, there’s no escaping the fact the mid-size luxury SUV has switchgear from the previous-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck and Dodge Dart. The Uconnect-based infotainment system also happens to be rather familiar, but the biggest flaw of the Levante is that it was launched with a couple of V6 engines.
Why, oh why? This is the House of the Trident for crying out loud, not Alfa Romeo or a lesser brand controlled by the group! Two years later, the Levante Trofeo made amends with a Ferrari-developed V8 packing two turbochargers, 590 horsepower, and 730 Nm (538 pound-feet) of torque. Those stats, however, aren’t impressive.
Looking at competition such as the Porsche Cayenne, the Turbo S E-Hybrid is just around the corner, packing the supercar-like performance of its half-brother from the Panamera family. Then there’s the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which develops no less than 707 ponies from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in Trackhawk specification.
Even though I have a sweet spot for Maserati, the Levante V6 and Levante Trofeo are on the lackluster side of mid-size luxury SUVs. And that’s a bit of a shame, more so if you bear in mind how much excitement Lamborghini engineered into the Urus. It’s painful to see Maserati this way, but that’s why the Modena-based Italian automaker has to step up its game by a huge margin in a relatively small timespan.
Last, but certainly not least, the Levante isn’t selling well. In the U.S. and Europe, the Levante moved 5,460 and 5,733 units in 2017. For this reason, Maserati decided to cut back on Levante production by reducing working hours at the Mirafiori plant in Turin. Reid Bigland used to watch over Maserati during that time, only to be replaced by Tim Kuniskis over these results.
First things first, there’s no escaping the fact the mid-size luxury SUV has switchgear from the previous-generation Ram 1500 pickup truck and Dodge Dart. The Uconnect-based infotainment system also happens to be rather familiar, but the biggest flaw of the Levante is that it was launched with a couple of V6 engines.
Why, oh why? This is the House of the Trident for crying out loud, not Alfa Romeo or a lesser brand controlled by the group! Two years later, the Levante Trofeo made amends with a Ferrari-developed V8 packing two turbochargers, 590 horsepower, and 730 Nm (538 pound-feet) of torque. Those stats, however, aren’t impressive.
Looking at competition such as the Porsche Cayenne, the Turbo S E-Hybrid is just around the corner, packing the supercar-like performance of its half-brother from the Panamera family. Then there’s the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which develops no less than 707 ponies from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in Trackhawk specification.
Even though I have a sweet spot for Maserati, the Levante V6 and Levante Trofeo are on the lackluster side of mid-size luxury SUVs. And that’s a bit of a shame, more so if you bear in mind how much excitement Lamborghini engineered into the Urus. It’s painful to see Maserati this way, but that’s why the Modena-based Italian automaker has to step up its game by a huge margin in a relatively small timespan.
Last, but certainly not least, the Levante isn’t selling well. In the U.S. and Europe, the Levante moved 5,460 and 5,733 units in 2017. For this reason, Maserati decided to cut back on Levante production by reducing working hours at the Mirafiori plant in Turin. Reid Bigland used to watch over Maserati during that time, only to be replaced by Tim Kuniskis over these results.
Google News