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MODENA – Maserati’s transformation plan aims to free the luxury brand Stellantis from being a “volume slave” that weighs on quality, its CEO Davide Grasso said on Wednesday, unveiling a convertible version of his MC20 sports car.
Maserati, which returned to operating profit last year, delivered 24,200 cars in 2021 – 7,300 more than in 2020. That still leaves it far from the peak in 2017, when it sold 51,500 cars.
“It was a success in terms of numbers, not necessarily for customers,” Grasso said, adding that Maserati’s defect rate at the time was higher than the average for the luxury and premium markets.
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“You are entering a vicious circle of unsold cars and growing discounts,” he said. “We were not good enough with quality, new propulsion units, infotainment system.
Grasso said Maserati’s performance will continue to improve this year and in 2023 in terms of market share, products, revenue and margins.
The brand recently unveiled its new Grecale SUV, which will be available in a fully electric (BEV) version in 2023. Next year, Maserati will also introduce new versions of its Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio models and plans to make its entire range electrified by 2025.
Chief Commercial Officer Bernard Loir said sales could potentially exceed 30,000 units this year, although that is not the goal.
“This is a forecast based on our current performance,” he said.
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Loire said China, Maserati’s second-largest market after the United States, was affected by the continuing blockade, but feedback from initial orders for Grecale was very positive.
“We see a much better second half,” he added.
He said Grecale would allow Maserati to compete in a segment that costs about 40% of the luxury market, where the brand has not been present before.
With deliveries expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023, the new retractable MC20 Cielo hardtop – Sky in Italian – will not contribute to Maserati sales until 2023.
Equipped with a six-cylinder, three-liter engine with 630 horsepower, for a top speed of over 320 km per hour, it will cost 260,000 euros ($ 277,000), 30,000 euros more than its sister from the MC20 coupe. This is higher than the initial models of Ferrari and Aston Martin.
The combined capacity of the MC20 and MC20 Cielo, both manufactured in Modena, northern Italy, is around 1,400 units per year, with the flexibility to adapt output between the two models.
Their BEV versions are expected by 2025 ($ 1 = € 0.9381) (Report by Giulio Piovaccari Editing by Keith Weir)
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