Alexandre
We learned it yesterday from Ferrari. The brand with the Prancing Horse will no longer supply engines to Maserati starting in 2021. Maximum 2022.
What does Ferrari say?
Louis Camilleri, the new general manager of Ferrari, announced it in these terms: "We have a contract [...] Maserati has announced that it will not renew this contract" . "From our perspective, this is good news from a profitability point of view [...] By recovering part of our workforce, they will be able to better focus on our own engines"..
Thus, it is Maserati who would have signed the breach of contract.
Why such a decision?
First of all, it is perhaps a way for FCA to let Ferrari sail on its own without having too many ties to the FCA group.
For Maserati, it is a way to avoid being associated with the Prancing Horse brand, which has often been criticized for living in the shadow of the Maranello brand, with engines that are often less prestigious or more limited than those of its big sister.
So, will this allow the Modena-based firm to really spread its wings? It's possible, but the currently falling sales and the redefinition of the brand's philosophy are essential steps before thinking about a totally redefined engine offer...
The FCA group as a backup?
We say then that the Trident brand will thus be definitively attached to the FCA group of which it is a part.
So, what about replacing the engines V6 twin-turbo 350 and 430 hp, 460 hp 4.7 V8 atmo and 3.8 twin-turbo V8 with 530 hp (and up to 590 hp on the Levante Trofeo)?
Several avenues may perhaps emerge:
- The Alfa Romeo V6 with 510 hp could do the trick and would make the design of this engine, which currently sells very little, profitable. Will it be deflated a bit to be more in line with the current 350 and 410 hp versions?
- For the V8 atmoGiven that the Granturismo/Grancabrio duo is at the extreme end of its life, we think that it is will end up in the trashAtmospheric engines are no longer built today...
- As for the 530 hp twin-turbo V8, we think that the Alfa Romeo V6 could replace it. Of course, a V6 is often considered less noble than a V8 but this last type of engine is ending everywhere, replaced by V6 less bulky, less greedyThis is the only way to make the whole thing more shimmering and less "commonplace", could very well be coupled with a hybrid technology... It's a good thing that hybridisation is on the agenda at Maserati...
The catch is that Manley recently stated that the fact of joining Maserati to Alfa Romeo was a bad idea. So, will sharing engines be part of this statement? What about the Maserati engines? An internal design? Can the FCA Group afford it? An external partner? The use of brutalists American V8 from Dodge/Jeep ? It's hard to think about it all the same....
So what do you think?