Maserati Boss Thinks Smaller Cars Would Cheapen The Brand

Contrary to Maserati's latest product plan, the Italian brand now no longer wants to launch products smaller than the Ghibli and Levante. “You don’t want to go down. You want to go up,” company boss Harald Wester told Autocar.

In Wester's view, the smaller models make Maserati seem like a mass-market brand, which weakens that company's cachet as a luxury automaker. The tinier vehicles also come with lower product margins.

However, it's not clear whether Wester's new statement is an explicit plan no longer to build the previously announced compact crossover or whether he's saying the automaker wouldn't create any other compact vehicles beyond what's already in the product plan.

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mre30 - 6/11/2019 10:39:40 AM

0 Boost

So let me understand...if the Guila Quadrifoglio was launched instead as a Maserati, that would have cheapened the Maserati brand?

The Guilia (reliability problems aside, is a great package and really great-handling vehicle) should have been launched as a Maserati which would have made Maserati a full-line brand.

So, with every single Maserati based on the cop-car Dodge Challenger platform, what is left to 'cheapen' the brand.

The entire Alfa lineup would have been much better as a Maserati in the US.

Thoughts?

FCA would be better off

MDarringer - 6/11/2019 8:56:16 PM

+2 Boost

Bingo.

Alfa-Romeo should have been cast as an Italian Subaru i.e. AWD turbo FWD based. The Giulia should have been an AWD Dart with the 4C engine. The Dart was an Alfa Romeo, by the way.

Car4life1 - 6/11/2019 12:10:41 PM

+2 Boost

Soooo Maserati is ok with using Jeep and Dodge Charger platforms but a Dodge Dart would just be beneath them...ok

Foncool - 6/11/2019 3:06:00 PM

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It’s a lot of inside baseball as there had been an internal war between Modena and Auburn Hills taking place since 2013/14 for control of Maserati and to a somewhat lesser extent Alfa Romeo.

It has caused delays, changes in product platforms and production locations. (Remember Auburn Hills was pushing for the Levante to be on the Cherokee platform and built alongside it.) The Giorgio (Giulia) platform was originally supposed to underpin the next generation of Maseratis in various wheelbases.

Between 2016 and 2018 Maserati has changed Directors 4 times (Wester, Bigland, Kuniskus, Wester again). Yes that’s right the same Reid Bigland that is under SEC investigation and is suing FCA under whistle blower protection over the sales reporting practices that he also used at Maserati/Alfa. It was after Maserati/Alfa became Auburn Hills based under Chrysler personnel (Bigland then Kuniskus) that Maserati’s margins dropped from over 13% to under 3% and sales went into almost free fall.

Wester is now trying to right the ship as he regains control of Maserati (not Alfa) at least in Europe and the rest of the world. Chrysler personnel are still entrenched in North American operations.

MDarringer - 6/11/2019 4:28:34 PM

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So if Maserati goes smaller, where does that leave Alfa Romeo?

PUGPROUD - 6/11/2019 4:42:18 PM

-1 Boost

A high style, high content, high powered Maserati priced 40% above Alfas could be a winner.

MDarringer - 6/11/2019 6:38:56 PM

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So a $70K 3 Series competitor? Are you nuts? The Ghibli is getting discounted $10-20K just to get them off the lot.

Foncool - 6/11/2019 7:55:30 PM

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The vision of the future of Maserati battle between Auburn Hills and Modena, is one where Auburn Hills sees Porsche volume numbers and wants Maserati to be 75,000+ unit company with a Maserati version of the Stelvio with possibly even a 4 cylinder engine to compete with the Macan.

Modena visions the company as 40,000 maybe 50,000 units max. With a larger 7 passenger Levante and a 200k super car, along with other upscale products filling the void between the top end of Mercedes/bmw and the lower end of Bentley.

skytop - 6/11/2019 8:58:41 PM

+1 Boost

Then maybe larger cars would enhance the needy Maserati brand...