REPORT: Maserati Aiming To Battle Porsche AND Tesla With All-new Alfieri — Does It Have A Chance Or Is It DOA?

DOA
Where's the money for this project?

I listen to the Q&A session, quoting Marcchione we decided to use the development money earmarked for Dodge & Chrysler to finance the Alfieri project primarily because we knew it just drive MDarringer, absolutely crazy! :-) it was just too easy had to do it.

It doesn't drive me crazy. It just makes me feel disgust. Kind of like standing at a specific address on Kelvin Way in West Bromwich.

Gorgeous concept. If the production version looks like that it will surely do well.

Certainly an Alfieri could compete with a Porsche - although a Maserati is considered more of an exotic than a Porsche - and will likely sell in smaller quantities - and be more exclusive. People who buy in that rarified price area tend to be accustomed to less reliability in return for performance.

Tesla does not have a car that would compete with either - they are a failing entry level EV company

Maserati might have been considered an exotic once upon a time, but those days are long gone. The Alfiero will be a cobbled-together mess of batteries thrown into a Giorgio platform.

I love the looks of the Tesla Model S, and I have no regrets in buying one. However, I have said to others that if Maserati would electrify the Quattroporte styling, then they would surely have a winner. Had FCA started on such a project in 2013 - when the Model S showed what was possible - they would "be there" right now, with a leadership image in electrification and genuine capability that could be applied across their lines.

They can compete with Porsche if they continue their beautiful designs and bring their running costs to something more customers can afford. The vehicles need to be made slightly more affordable (pricing in line with porsche) with improved reliability and maintenance costs in line with other premium makes.

Both Maserati and Alfa were always niche, low volume ~luxury brands in this country and that isn't going to change no matter how much money they throw at them. The fact that Alfa and Maserati have what I see as slightly overlapping product lines only makes this harder.

I guess there is some scenario where they put together one product line under the two names and sell them in one dealership, but I cannot image it would ever make any money.

Alfa Romeo should have been cast as a FWD/AWD performance brand. Imagine an Italian Subaru. Imagine the Giulia being a GTI/GLI or a WRX. The Giulia and Stelvio should have been Maseratis.

"Imagine an Italian Subaru" What a Subaru that is 4yrs 1mth old (ie just out of warranty) with known issues such as an engine part fails (multi air unit) on a car with under 50k on the clock costing a grand to replace, where the over priced battery turns off the stop start because it doesn't charge to 100% anymore, or the wiring is so tight and there is no flexibility sos it eventually snaps, Alfa price - £400 or home fix with 2 spade connectors and a bit of wiring. Wouldn't touch another poxy Alfa.

Maserati is a Chrysler product. They're not in the same league as Porsche.

And Porsche is a VW product. The fact of the matter is from a design and engineering standpoint Maserati and Alfa are pretty much intertwined with Ferrari. While separate companies, personnel regularly leaves one company for the other. As marcchione announced on Friday all of Maserati’s engine be they IC, Hybrid or EV will be supplied by Ferrari.

In the Q&A session Marcchione sidestepped the question, but I would expect an eventual spinoff of Maserati Alfa which would then become under control of Ferrari and its President, Sergio Marchionne.

Foncool wrote "...from a design and engineering standpoint Maserati and Alfa are pretty much intertwined with Ferrari..."

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, reviewers bemoan how the Maserati Ghibli (one of Maserati's latest offerings), is an incredible disappointment, using Chrysler parts-bin items in what's supposed to be a premium car, and not measuring up to the ~$70K asking price in any measurable way.

I don't know where to even start a conversation with someone who believes that a Maserati is on par with, or "intertwined with" Ferrari :-/

<<<< I don't know where to even start a conversation with someone who believes that a Maserati is on par with, or "intertwined with" Ferrari :-/ >>>>>

How about first by starting to educating yourself on the companies you pretend to know something about and not reading internet blogs or questionable journalists too lazy to actually do research.

The current 3.0 twin turbo V6 used by Maserati was designed by engineer Paola Martinelli after he transferred from Ferrari where he designed their Formula 1 V10 that won multiple world championships with Michael Schumacher. The blocks are cast in Indiana by Ferrari personnel and shipped to Maranello for machining and assembly. The 3.8 twin turbo V8 is cast and built at Ferrari as is the 4.7 V8 in the GranTurismo. Roberto Fedeli was the chief engineer at Ferrari moved on to be Chief Technical Officier for Maserati Alfa (since transferred again within FCA.) The former Director of World Wide Communications for Maserati came from Ferrari as did the Director of after sales and many other people at both companies have jumped back and forth.

The fact that that Maserati, Alfa, Fiat and Ferrari use auxiliary switchgear that can be found in a Chrysler is irrelevant as a lot of that same switchgear is also used by Mercedes Benz. It is no different than VW switchgear being found in Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti.

You do realize that Ferrari and Maserati are located about 10 miles from each other, you do realize that in 1997 Fiat sold Maserati to Ferrari and in 2005 Ferrari sold Maserati back to Fiat? But no they are not intertwined.

@foncol the Maserati V6 is a Pentastar unit from Kokomo.

Again, misinformation from lazy journalism. The Maserati 3.0 twin turbo V6 is not a Pentastar motor. It was wholly designed and developed by Paolo Martinelli. The engines are built by Ferrari, the problem comes from lazy journalists that just assume that because the blocks are cast at a Chrysler plant in Indiana that it is a pentastar motor, it is not.

Simply put Ferrari doesn’t have the capacity to produce enough casting to satisfy Maserati’s needs and still to be able to comply with its yearly cap via EU regulations in terms of emissions expelled during the manufacturing process. While the EPA does have stringent emission regulations it doesn’t have cap on yearly output as the EU does, the Chrysler Kokomo, Indiana plant had available capacity to produce the casting. Ferrari employees were transferred to Indiana where they cast the Maserati engine blocks before they are shipped to Maranello to be machined and assembled.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/road-tests/reviews/a6890/7-things-we-learned-abusig-2014-maserati-ghibli-s-q4/

Why would you put Tesla in the Title. Tesla competes with the Chevrolet Bolt
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The only person who could possibly type this statement is a bitter guy who works in the marketing department at Chevrolet.

Remember Sergio has a clear habit of overstating "everything" by a large margin. He has made wild claims in terms of product and volume over the years. his misstatements about Alfa have been almost as bad as Trumps tweets. Usually he about 20 to 25% correct. So will there be all of these EV's or hybrids by 2022. Highly unlikely.

He meant to say 2222.

Not really unfortunately government mandates dictate that they do, however the first signs change to the chicken little climate change rules are beginning unfold. Insane mileage and emission regulations may be loosening up, the forcing of the industry to adopt alternative propulsion systems to satisfy the climate change fanatics diverts resources from development of other projects.