[blackwasp]

According to a media report, earnings and sales of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) Maserati car brand have fallen sharply in Q3 of 2018. Its revenue fell by 87% to 15 million Euros and vehicle dispatches fell to 8,800 units - a drop of 19% compared to the same period in 2017.

According to the company's 2014-2018 plan, Maserati was expected to sell 75,000 units in 2018. This target was revised to 50,000 units on June 1, while the actual sales for the first 9 months of 2018 stand at 26,400 units. The company's profit margins also fell from 13.8% in Q3 of 2017 to 2.4% in Q3 of 2018. The actual margin target for 2018 was 14%. It hopes to achieve a profit margin of 15% by 2022.

FCA CEO Mike Manly revealed that running Maserati and Alfa Romeo with a single leader was a mistake. He also said that it reduced the focus on the premium brand and it was treated like a mass market entity.

Last month, Harald Wester - FCA's Chief Technology Officer was recently appointed to lead Maserati. He was also in charge of the brand from 2008-2016. Since Wester's move to Maserati, he has hired Jean-Philippe Leloup - a former Ferrari executive with experience in sales and marketing of luxury cars. Leloup will head a new entity named Maserati Commercial.

One of the problems faced by Maserati is the lack of new model launches. At present, Maserati sells the Levante SUV and the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans. New models like the Alfieri coupe and convertible were planned, but have not yet been launched. Further, the Levante competes in the large premium SUV segment - the only SUV segment that is not showing growth.



Source: Automotive News

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[D33-PAC]

Who are the direct competitors to Maserati ? That I never understood.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by D33-PAC

Who are the direct competitors to Maserati ? That I never understood.

Good question. I always felts Maserati is a class on its own. I can not imagine any rational thought why somebody would want to own a Maserati. for the same money you can buy quite a few other cars, with better performance and better finish. But some people are just smitten by Maserati. Most aren’t. Once you have caught the Maserati virus nothing else will do. Without it, at best an interesting looking car with some great heritage.

Jeroen

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Good question. I always felts Maserati is a class on its own. I can not imagine any rational thought why somebody would want to own a Maserati. for the same money you can buy quite a few other cars, with better performance and better finish. But some people are just smitten by Maserati. Most aren’t. Once you have caught the Maserati virus nothing else will do. Without it, at best an interesting looking car with some great heritage.

Jeroen

If Maserati would create more icons like the one attached instead of making these bland ugly modern things then perhaps things would be different.
What style those classic vehicles of the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s had!
And yes, in that era only a seriously well off chap could afford one of these.
Now, in this new age of crass commercialism, every top Marque has become commoditised and all of them are losing their aspirational value.
No wonder the really evolved (and seriously well off) blokes, are happier driving their old classics rather than the bling new cars!

[GTO]

Indeed, very challenging times for Maserati. Their product line-up is too old, there are quality issues, the reliability is poor and no one is quite sure what the brand stands for. "Maserati" had a certain sexiness to it, but FCA has ruined the brand's positioning.

Whatever the price point or segment, the big 3 Germans offer you a superior product than Maserati. It sure doesn't help that Jaguar-Land Rover, Volvo & Lexus have made huge progress in the last 10 years too. If a customer wants something 'different', these 3 diverse brands provide a lot of variety.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by GTO

Indeed, very challenging times for Maserati. Their product line-up is too old, there are quality issues, the reliability is poor and no one is quite sure what the brand stands for. "Maserati" had a certain sexiness to it, but FCA has ruined the brand's positioning.

Oh its still sexy no doubt but in the current SUV obsessed market, having one product can only take you as far. The reliability though is another story. Its still a question mark and that is unpardonable in 2018 and at that price point.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Oh its still sexy no doubt but in the current SUV obsessed market, having one product...

Sexy? I suppose the tail end can be confused with an S-Cross at times, without the badge. Why would one buy it, that too in Kolkata?

[ajmat]

The air is thin at the high end - few buyers in this segment. Let me define the various sub-segments

An exotic supercar with highly advanced engineering - Bugatti, Pagani + the Ferrari specials
(Pagani are lucky to be there with no heritage but only through engineering par excellence)

A supercar with racing heritage or some sporting pedigree - Ferrari, Lamborghini, higher end Porsches, Maclaren, Audi R8

Powerful GT tourers - Maserati, Mercedes S Coupe, SL, AMG GT, Ferrari Portofino, BMW 8 series,Porsche 911 - too many competitors with their individual USP's

What is Maseratis USP ?

• Racing heritage- a long time ago - barely in my lifetime
• Luxury - the Quattroporte and Ghibli are flawed
• SUV - neither dramatic nor does it standout
• Handling - Most are superior
• Engine - Yes but it is a retuned Ferrari
• Character - the GT's have it in bucketful but unless Maseratis get on your list, you would never know.

Too little was invested in the brand. If FCA had been serious - they should have invested in racing and better brand development.

An idea to revitalise the brand - dont shoot me - sell the brand to the Chinese (they are the only keen Maserati buyers) and they will invest in electric versions (they have the technology for this!)

[revsperminute]

It aches my heart to see Maserati fade into oblivion day by day. The main culprit of Maserati's downfall is lack of R&D. Buying a Maserati today is equivalent to wearing a black leather jacket. Sure, some people may see it as a timeless classic but most don't. Besides this, their products are flawed by poor reliability, outdated technology, relatively bad build quality and much more. I'll keep my fingers crossed and pray that the halo Italian marque doesn't cross the point of no recovery.

[Maky]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Too little was invested in the brand. If FCA had been serious - they should have invested in racing and better brand development.

An idea to revitalise the brand - dont shoot me - sell the brand to the Chinese (they are the only keen Maserati buyers) and they will invest in electric versions (they have the technology for this!)

There was a point in time when Maserati competed with Ferrari.
I have personally always felt that FCA very intentionally kept Maserati limited in order to protect its halo Ferrari.... or have I a tin foil hat on :P?

[dark.knight]

To me, Maserati will always be the most handsome car ever made.. and I'm not talking vintage ones, I'm talking present Quattroporte and Ghibli, man those cars are lookers. Angry headlamps, toothy low-slung grille, curves in all the right places. The big 3 should take some inspiration from these Italian masterpieces.

However, where Maserati has failed big time is in pricing and as a result, in segmentation. Maserati is the slightly poorer, road-worthy cousin of Ferrari and that is where the prices shoot up. Also if the reports are to be believed, Maserati hasn't exactly nailed the interior luxury aspect as well as the Germans have.. that always seems to be the weak-point in FCA vehicles.

Aston Martin, I feel is the closest competitor to the Maserati even though Maserati is quite a bit cheaper. Never mind its problems or shortcomings, if the budget isn't an issue one should buy a Maserati only so that they can tell others "I've a Maserati".. that name has a way better kick than say "I've an Audi" or "I've a BMW"