«Fiat controlla Chrysler ma Modena produce Alfa» - Cronaca - Gazzetta di Modena
The article is a little ignorant. Yes FIAT has taken over Chrysler, because FIAT (Marchionne) wants to have direct access to the US market (dealers, distribution, manufacturing). Maybe there are plans to create Italian cars in the US, to avoid shipping costs. But they will definitely use the distribution and dealer network for Alfa Romeo. Anyway, the company is not moving away from Modena, the author of the article is worried because Alfa has moved there some time ago (true, more than 200 engineers are working on the next Alfa models). But this has no effect on Maserati, they are quite separate entities. What the article should have talked about, is the amazing news that Alfa Romeo has been given the go ahead to take money and invest in new cars (yeeey!). They may piggy-back on existing Maserati factories but that is to lower costs and Maserati is not affected at all.
Maybe ... and maybe not. The two high volume cars (Ghibli and the SUV) are not being made in Modena. If Maserati is successful with its current strategy my bet is they will move further away from the lower volume models and introduce additional higher volume models. In time Modena might only house marketing and administrative offices and perhaps the manufacturing floor used to create "special edition" models by modifying existing models,similar to what Campana has been doing in the past. Anyway, I am just guessing but I think the Trident as we know it is loosing much of its exclusivity. Ivan
Not really. Design of the SUV started in September, and the next model after the SUV (either a new GranSport to complement the GT line or a completely new GT) will be made in Modena. So all that speculation is very wrong, nobody is moving out of Modena and the new GranSport or new GT will be made in Modena, like the current GT. Modena hosts a lot more than just simple offices, it has engineers, R&D, Classic department, marketing, dev teams, test teams, and all sorts of things. The factory is Modena has enough capacity to fit a few Alfa Romeo cars as well. Those silly articles are just silly. Maserati has other kinds of problems, like the new SUV platform (which they want use to create two SUV models), and the higher requirements for engines (too many and quality may go down)... etc. The new QP and mini-QP (Ghibli) have been doing really well, without any manufacturing issues. The new chassis is magnificent and has given the new cars an edge above the rest (audi, merc, bmw, etc).
That happened when they introduced the 3500 and increased production. It happened again when they introduced the Biturbo and again increased production. Then came the 4200 and increased production again.
The word exclusivity is tightly related to how many examples there exists of something. The more cars Maserati sell the less special each car will be. This is natural.. On the other hand, the quality will definately get better. The days when Maserati was a small company producing very few and ONLY very exclusive cars is definately a thing of the past. And has been so since the late 70's. Maserati will certainly produce some exclusive models though, I'm sure of it. Maserati will never produce cars of the same pedigree as before, simply because they decided in the early 80's to "mass" produce cars. So this is nothing new really, it started in 81 I do think it is sort of strange to hate the new cars and love the Biturbo, they are after all tightly related. A continuous business plan taking a bit longer than expected is what I'd say!
I consider more exclusive these modern Maseratis built in 30000 pieces per year, than the ones of the Biturbo's era made in some hundreds pieces per year. And there's no match for what concerning quality and reliability. The Modena's plant is not suitable to make a considerable production, as it is an old building located in town, on the other hand it may be preserved for the production of the sport cars. The Turin's plant consists of the ex-Bertone factory and it is located at the city limits, near a motorway. It is a small-medium factory built in the '60 but totally refurbished and perfectly suitable for a quality production as planned for these new sedans. I'm sure that the whole structure of this modern Maserati is fully capable of ensuring the quality and exclusivity that the brand Maserati deserves, even if the production will be furtherly increased to the numbers expected by Marchionne with the announcement of the new Suv. The Alfa Romeo (as factory) no longer exists so, and it is disgusting the thought that the new Alfas might be designed in Fiat. I agree that the engineering and design department of Maserati, can take care of the next new Alfa Romeo cars. Ciao Andrea
Hell Andrea! Exclusivity is a word meaning several things, one of which is all "rare" objects and also one can interpret it as objects produced with exclusive materials and looks. I certainly agree that the new cars look and feel fantastic. I am almost alergic to new cars, if I wasn't I'd certainly buy myself a Ghibli or Granturismo. I have no personal vendetta against any of the Maserati periods, though I do have some periods I like more than others. Being someone who use my Maserati's as much as possible, I do need a bit of comfort and a "bit" modernity, hence I have mostly bought cars from the period 1970-2000. My QP3 is currently enjoying a warm Norwegian winter, works like a charm! I think it is fantastic that Maserati is moving forward and that they provide some nice flavors in an otherwise dull car market! I think the factory arrangement sounds like a good move.
Agree big time Veloce.. Honestly there are people who'd rather see Maserati bankrupt than producing the cars they do today. To me that is a very non productive view, one which I'm sure Maserati themselves don't fancy much.
Might seem like a tangent but I think in time the Porsche Cayenne will be seen as one of the more significant cars of our time. It showed that a company, which only built sports cars, could build something completely different and be very successful with it. The profits from the Cayenne help Porsche develop 911s and Caymans. For the purest Porsche guy the Cayenne may seem like an horrible dilution of the brand's cachet, but the past decade has shown it had a very positive net benefit to Porsche. Maserati (and apparently Bentley and Lamborghini) want to recreate this success with their own SUV. Hopefully it works out for them. Not sure using a Jeep Grand Cherokee as the basis for the Maserute is a great idea, but Cayenne had a cheaper brother in the Toureg so who knows.
And you'll follow much faster in a Maserati SUV! Let's hope it's got 500+ HP as an option! Of course this has 470HP and is already available from sister company Jeep for just north of $60K http://www.drivesrt.com/2014/grand-cherokee-srt/
Guys, don't forget that the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena is just a stone's throw from Maserati. I am sure the whole Fiat / Ferrari / Maserati / Alfa Romeo (don't forget Enzo's Alfa association) wants to keep the family image strong. And in the olden days, Bertone, Pinninfarina, Giugaro etc all produced their bodies in Turin. So I don't think new Maserati is far off making new vehicles in the old Bertone factory.
