Alexandre
The Maserati Quattroporte, a name synonymous with elegant and powerful sedans, will not be returning in the near future. Recently, an unexpected announcement shook the automotive world: the M9S project, intended to give birth to the the Quattroporte Folgore, an all-electric version, has been put on hold. This information, revealed by Corriere Torino, raises questions about the electric future of the iconic model.
Like the Stellantis Group's other European brands, we're also the only company in the world to offer a complete range of products and services, Maserati is betting everything on the electrification of its range. First with the Grecale and Granturismo Folgore, for which we finally know the price, and soon with the Grancabrio Folgore. Then, by 2025, we should see a new Quattroporte sedan, the Levante SUV and the MC20, all in Folgore and therefore 100 % electric.
And yet, the Italian newspaper Corriere Torino reveals that it's a thunderclap. If their information is correct, the Quattroporte would be suspended to avoid redundancy between electric Maseratis and those from Alfa Romeo. In particular, the aim here is to differentiate the electric Quattroporte from Alfa Romeo's future electric Giulia, scheduled for 2025 to 2026, and announced with an estimated power output of 1,000 hp.
It's like history repeating itself: under FCA, there was already talk of the two brands cannibalizing each other several times...
This suspension has a direct impact on Maserati's suppliers, who were informed of the pause and the order to freeze project-related developments.. The brand has also asked its suppliers to reduce the cost of 6% parts, following a similar reduction the previous year. These economic pressures reflect the fact that Maserati remains the least profitable luxury car brand.
Despite this information, if confirmed, Maserati remains firmly committed to the development of electric vehicles as demonstrated by the launch of the Grecale, Granturismo and soon Grancabrio Folgore.
Perhaps the Italian brand is waiting to see the sales figures for these new models in 2024 and is leaving itself the possibility of returning to combustion engines, and why not plug-in hybrids, as brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari and even Porsche are doing... Or perhaps Maserati wants to abandon the sedan segment, where brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini are not present, and leave this segment to Alfa Romeo...
The 6% reduction requested each year is a way for psa to do business with all its subcontractors in France, so companies like valeo, electrifil...ect are forced to cut back on materials and quality to get the market.
No one can say whether Maserati and Alfa Romeo's forthcoming all-electric models will appeal to their customers.
No longer having any combustion engines seems like a gamble. These brands seem to be playing the lottery: win or lose everything, and they'll be doomed.
I wasn't aware that the Quattroporte was taking customers away from the Giulia, at least not at present.
This race for electric power is ridiculous: 1,000 hp, and what's next: 1,100 hp, 1,200 hp, 1,500 hp, who can beat that?
It's better to have 510 or 520 hp from a V6 engine with character, than 1000 hp from a car that's content to accelerate hard.
I totally agree, we need to go back to "normal" power ratings for everyday cars. Let them try to sell the current giulias, which work very well and don't need to be at the level of a Maserati.
First of all, they never said anything about cannibalization under FCA because they clearly defined the difference between Luxury (Maserati) and Sport (Alfa), but rather cannibalization between Alfa and Lancia. What's more, their difference is enormous when you see a Giulia, a Ghibli and a Quattroporte. At the time, the Giuliana was to be built on the Ghibli chassis, not the Quattroporte.
Stellantis's comments are a total aberration, because it would be like comparing Porsche with Bentley and saying that one is going to cannibalize the other, and when you see the difference between a Stelvio and a Grecale, they may have the same chassis, but they're really a totally different product (it's hard to make them more different to drive both regularly).
They're simply incapable, because it's never been the same clientele.
All they have to do is make V6 hybrids for Alfa, Lancia and Maserati with the 3 existing twin-turbo V6s, and the problem will be solved.
Even the German brands are breaking down and thinking more and more about hybrids when they see the success of Toyota and Lexus.
Yes, it was said in Mike Manley's day. What's more, under the FCA air, Maserati went downmarket, which was no longer luxury, as explained in the Maserati centenary book signed by Marchionne, Ramaciotti, Wester...
For someone who knows everything, you've forgotten that 😉
Maserati,
But that's beside the point.
Alexandre, do you know who's going to do the Maserati dealership in Caen ( 14 )?
It was said that JFC, the current Maserati dealership in Caen, was going to lose it.
They make Jaguar, Maserati, Volvo, Land Rover.
I'm not sure about Caen, but given the volume of sales in France, it's certain that they won't all stay...