Maserati to revamp its line-up

Maserati’s new management is under pressure to improve sales figures.

Published On Feb 05, 2019 11:30:00 AM

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The sales and profit figures of Maserati have been in a slump for a while now. As parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has a new CEO, Michael Manley, this change in leadership has prompted a change in Maserati’s current strategy.

Manley has reportedly stated that it was a mistake to combine the organisational structure of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, which lead to the latter being treated almost like a mass market brand. Manley has appointed Harald Wester to the position of head of Maserati, which the German held previously between 2008 and 2016, and tasked him with putting together a new management team as well as a new strategy. Wester has already recruited Jean-Philippe Leloup from Ferrari to lead a new department called Maserati Commercial.

Maserati’s sales have been very poor for the past few years now and its main problem stems from the fact that they do not have any new models. The GranTurismo and GranCabrio range are 11 years old, making them among the oldest cars on sale today while the Ghibli and Quattroporte (sixth-gen) sedans have been around since 2013. Even the two-year-old Levante is already losing numbers to competitors like the BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne and the Mercedes GLE.

At the last investor conference chaired by former CEO Sergio Marchionne in June 2018, Maserati had laid down initial plans for the next five years. The plans included finally launching the Alfieri coupé in both fully electric and plug-in hybrid form as well as a new SUV that will sit beneath the Levante. All-new replacements for the Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante were also mooted in both EV and plug-in hybrid form.

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