Alexandre
Is the crisis affecting Maserati in France? The trident brand, a symbol of Italian luxury and sportiness, is struggling to win over customers in France. With just 64 registrations in the first half of 2023, Maserati is a far cry from its past performance. What are the reasons for this decline? Is it a problem of image, competition or strategy?
We talked about it about 1 month ago, the Maserati brand does well in Italy and the USAFrance, on the other hand, is the underdog. But is it really the French who are shunning the Italian brand, or is it something else?
French market at half-mast
The figures are indisputable. Maserati has lost more than 90 % of its sales in France since its peak in 2016, when it sold 732 vehicles. By comparison, the year 2020, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, saw 135 Maseratis registered in France. And the first half of 2023 shows no signs of improvement, with just 64 units sold.
| Years | Registrations Maserati France |
|---|---|
| 2023 H1 | 64 |
| 2022 | 213 |
| 2021 | 148 |
| 2020 | 135 |
| 2019 | 420 |
| 2018 | 606 |
| 2017 | 711 |
| 2016 | 732 |
But that's not all. Of these 64 registrations, almost half are demonstration vehicles for dealers looking to sell off their stock. In other words, demand from individual customers is even weaker than it seems.
An image problem?
You'd think the French would shun luxury brands... but not really!
In the first half of 2023, Ferrari sold 251 cars in France, Lamborghini 226 in the whole of 2022...
Both brands offer models at well over β¬300,000, unaffected by ecological malus. These buyers have the means to indulge themselves, without worrying about tax or environmental constraints.
Maserati, on the other hand, is in a more affordable price range than the other two Italian brands, between β¬80,000 and β¬250,000. But it faces fierce competition, particularly from German brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.
Maserati also suffers from a lack of range renewal. Its current Ghibli, Quattroporte and Levante models are mostly several years or even a decade old. Nor has it invested early enough in electrification, which is important for premium vehicles... (but not for luxury ones).
A deliberate strategy?
Faced with this situation, Maserati doesn't seem to be overly concerned. CEO Davide Grasso has stated that he prefers to focus on profitability rather than volumes.
Big volumes don't matter! It's better to make money with small volumes," he tells his teams.
Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO
Maserati is betting on its historic markets, such as Italy and the United States, where it is still achieving good sales. It is also counting on the upcoming launch of new models, such as the Grecale Folgore and the Granturismo Folgore. The small problem is that these are 100 % electric models, which luxury customers don't seem to like...
When contacted, Maserati France declined to comment.
Their technique isn't stupid, but to achieve it, you have to aim for a benchmark finish, zero defects, unrivalled reliability and a showroom and after-sales service that are the best in the category.
This has never worked in Europe with prenium or affordable luxury brands.
But if you're going to keep a range for a long time (which the Japanese have been doing very well since the 90s), you need to develop it year after year and try to reach perfection.
I don't see the point in trying to bring out new models every time if there's no constant evolution, which is what killed the careers of the Levante, Ghibli, Quattroporte and the discontinuation of the 4200GT, which represents a different range from the Granturismo.
The problem at Fiat and FCA was not the products themselves, but the lack of constant evolution, as was the case with the Charger and Challenger, the 500 and X.
That's what everyone blamed them for.
JLR has the same problem. Maybach disappeared because of it, Rover too, De Tomaso and many others.
Par pitiΓ© Ced is preMium, from the Latin praemium, praemia meaning "distinction".
Sorry, thank you Mr Pivot.
So I don't know if it's the reason for these figures ( I think so anyway) like Alfa, a big lack of image and showroom.
Example: near me in Lower Normandy, there was, I repeat there was, a Maserati dealership (Caen) which will be finished at the end of 2023. I've been there several times, I love the brand (I'm an Alfiste, Giulia Estrema) Maserati is across the street. But like Alfa, it's a multi-brand dealership. So they do Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo. I test-drove a Levante there, and after the test-drive the salesman gave me his card and the surprise JAGUAR card with the jaguar logo and small Maserati lettering. Where are we going??? I don't know if it's the same elsewhere, but I'm sure it's not helping. What's more, after my test drive, the salesman told me "if you're looking for a good SUV, you'd better get a Jaguar".
Maybe some dealerships aren't as good as you say Dan, but the price of Maseratis has gone up, as they all do, but people have a value in mind for a brand and it's like Alfa with Stelvios at 60,000, which slows sales down....we're not talking about malus π‘
For Ferrari or Lambo, it's not the same clientele, there's no comparison.
On the other hand, if you're going to see little Maseratis everywhere like the Porsches do now, it's all for the best.
Price has never been an issue for Maserati or Alfa.
In both cases, the problem lies with the Italian state, which, in the case of Alfa, didn't have the means to downgrade the brand to make it popular and try to fill the coffers, butchered the brand and, instead of selling it 10 years earlier to Fiat or Ford, preferred to rot it and hand it over in a pitiful state.
It's the same for Maserati: when the Ghibli came out, Ford and Fiat offered to buy them out, but they refused, ending up a few years later under CitroΓ«n, which went bankrupt by trying to do everything, and ended up exhausting Michelin, which was fed up with emptying its coffers. Then the Italian government refused to hand over the baby to Fiat, preferring poor De Tomaso, who did what he could by also lowering the range in the hope of making a profit, but quality had trouble keeping up (craftsmanship, not industry), and it was Fiat who recovered it in a sorry state, but restored it to its former glory with Ferrari!
Maserati's only flaw now is that they need to get back their exemplary finish and palatial dealerships (with Lancia and Alfa) or put them back in the Ferrari dealerships... (where they really belong) and Abarth, Alfa and Lancia together.
The rest will take care of itself.
The proof is in the Giulia, which has given Alfa a new lease of life, as have the 8C, 33 and Stelvio (the 4C... It's more likely to come from Abarth, and at 4C Alfa's flag-bearer sales prices).
But the world is changing, just look at Lotus' orders for their new mammoth π¦£!
I have a Levante and I'm happy with it, but not enough dealerships of this brand.
In addition, whether in Paris or Annecy, they are bandits, and Mal received and until my complaint to the headquarters in Italy, no return.
It doesn't look good
For your information, I was advised to change the suspension compressor at 25,000km, when it's just the fuse.
I'm stopping because I have a list
For sure, my next car will be another brand.
We're better received at Dacia......
Annecy have a bad reputation.
Frankly, if I had the money for the latest model from this prestigious brand, I wouldn't stop at the "imperfections" of dealerships. But I'd still support the brand, because it's the brand we're talking about, and the thousands of people who work for it every day. So if there are idiots among the salespeople, dealers and others, I'll buy the Maserati of my dreams and support the brand!
Forza Maserati! I too am not happy with the Bordeaux Merignac dealership, but I support the brand.
Hello. It's simple. They are (brutte)
I've had Maseratis for 30 years
But the latest models are BRUTTE
Maserati is currently renewing its range, and the Quattroporte and Ghibli models are aging, so it's hardly surprising that the MC20, GranTurismo and Grecale aren't all available, depending on version. 2023 will undoubtedly be a year of transition, but the brand is arriving with the right products (which are absolutely magnificent for the first two, in my opinion). The question of concessions does arise, and why not with Alfa and Lancia.
The ecological malus is an aberration...it's gradually killing off sports car brands that refuse to give in to the pseudo-electrification of their engines...it's sad to see automotive history and its legends slowly dying out...
Hello, I can't afford to buy a Maserati, but this icon of Italian industry is in danger of disappearing. Electrification and an aberrant malus are already one of the causes, but being part of the Stellantis group, you can't expect much, Peugeot is a brand that has nothing in common with Italy, It's a mistake for fiat to join forces with them, because Peugeot isn't about frivolity, it's about making money. Look at lancia, for example, one of my favorite brands along with alfa, it's going to disappear,just to reassure those who love this mythical brand, but Peugeot, at some point, will say stop the expense, and lancia will disappear, just like alfa Romeo, which a few months ago, announced it was becoming a "normal" manufacturer, i.e. cars without soul, whereas the dna of alfa is sport, I would have preferred it to be Renault, rather than Peugeot, at least they're open-minded, so in less than 20 years, maserati will disappear, like lancia or alfa, in the name of profit, because that's all Peugeot sees, profit, when it has the opportunity, in this group, to have fabulous engines, which it could have borrowed, as Renault did with Nissan....We love Italian products, full of life, but we're in a time of austerity, and who can we thank? The governments and all those who want the death of automotive pleasure...
FCA They would have partnered with Mazda when they took back their freedom from Ford.
I couldn't agree more.
An Alfista since 1979, my latest Alfas, Giulietta QV and Giulia, are currently in my garage.
For the future, the Giulietta's replacement will be a Mazda3!
For me, the future electric motorization of the Alfas is prohibitive and signs the death of the brand!
Alas, we have the same feeling.
Many former Alfistes moved to Mazda after the 156 was discontinued.
It was already a tidal wave of departures when Fiat didn't bother to renew the 75, but the discontinuation of the 156 continued the departures and the Giulia came out, alas, too late.
I myself have recommended the Mazda 3 sedan, which is very handsome and has excellent roadholding, but a Giulia is incomparable; the Mazda is placid at best. No better than a Tonale. The truth is that Mazda has abandoned its "sporty" models. And Alfa Romeo's big fault is not to have followed up the Giulietta, for lack of outlets outside Europe. If you try to please everyone, you'll satisfy no one. It's not certain that next year's model will be completely adapted to any market, and the Alfetta, which will undoubtedly be an electric 100%, won't set your heart aflutter...
The Giulia is certainly the best of all, as is the Stelvio in its class, but the next Mazda will still come out with a 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engine β½οΈ so it should come as no surprise that when the Giulia comes to an end, many people will turn to the 6, which is also going rear-wheel drive with the support of Toyota-Lexus.
In short, it's going to hurt.
Last we heard, Mazda had pulled the plug on this model, but perhaps you're better informed!
Last time I checked, no, because it's still being fine-tuned, just like the new RX9.
Fredo, if Mazda had discontinued its sporty models, the MX5 ND would no longer be on sale, and yet it's a huge hit.
It would not continue the RX line and the 6 would not be released.
It's only on compacts (and even then) that they've let go a little.
On the one hand, it's far from clear that Peugeot would be in a strong position in the merger, given that the board of directors is headed by Elkann and that FCA is much better distributed worldwide (FCA is not run by philanthropists, cf. the bonus received by Exor on the merger), on the other hand, PSA has a platform that's around 150 kilos lighter than VAG's to date, and when you want to fit a 300kg battery, that's not insignificant for fuel consumption and roadholding (we all remember GM's platform)... I think the 600e is the lightest vehicle in its class at 1.5 tonnes. Add to that a fairly efficient electric motor, and you've got a few arguments... For Lancia, it's Napolitano's turn. If Stellantis was planning to get rid of it, they wouldn't be launching the development of three models.
If FCA hadn't sold Magneti Marelli... we wouldn't be where we are today. You don't sell your research center without paying the consequences at some point. This was Marchionne's main mistake, like sacrificing Lancia and selling Iveco. As for the electrical part between Chrysler and Fiat, I think that with Magneti Marelli, FCA didn't need PSA but Mazda would have been a link to play between Lancia and Alfa and a more extensive network around the world.
I've heard all about Stellantis, but what have they done? The products announced for Lancia are not particularly in keeping with the brand's image. Alfa's aren't either. Abarth's products have become a real mockery. Maserati will be discontinuing an important model for China π¨π³, the Ghibli (which should come in 2 sizes). The Quattroporte and Levante ditto. They still haven't understood that the Alfieri is vital to replace the 3200GT.
Chrysler is gone, Dodge is dying.
Before going electric, we should have restructured as planned into 3 categories, exploited the Giorgio and the hybrid. Think about the electric future only now, as Toyota is doing.
In any case, if Maseratis don't sell well in France, it's because of Fredo, because as soon as he sees an Italian that makes noise and isn't electric... he punctures its tires π so people are afraid to cross his path on the roads π£οΈ of France! π
I'm a fan of the brand, but I probably won't buy any more.
The reason: the used value, and the discount, added to the pathetic levels of trade-ins by maserati, who on the other hand sell them very expensively used or at least tried.
A soap sold at market price but which is really overpriced.
It's time to stop taking people for fools.
Ask for a lease and compare it with the German ones, and you'll immediately see the difference, which is colossal.
When you love, you don't count, but given the results, these people can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
You have to buy them second-hand, but in order to have them, you have to sell new ones.
I would add a range with too few variants, too few engines, their choice of a 2-liter hybrid with full malus, and price levels higher than the Germans.
You don't have to be a marketing whiz to predict failure.
That said, Jaguar isn't doing any better, and Amg's failure with its ultra-high-performance 2-liter hybrid will complicate manufacturers' future strategies, and electrics will level the playing field.
I hope, however, that I'll still be able to see these brands on the road and not just in museums.
The choice of limited engines has never been a problem at Maserati, but where there's a black mark β«οΈ is on the networks and unworthy after-sales service, non-existent product follow-up, and a regression in finish compared to models released under Ferrari.
The introduction of a diesel and a 4-cylinder just to increase volume is the antithesis of Maserati, which has always produced vehicles in small quantities at a high price.
I work with top-of-the-range Germans and well question, discount, quality, reliability, follow-ups, after-sales service and trade-in in Switzerland π¨π, it's a disaster and many have switched to Lexus for more peace of mind and it's justified, what's more, the brand is going to sell its VAN π next year in Europe, which means that the Mercedes V-class and the VAG transporter, which are really 2 ENOOOORMOUS pieces of walking garbage, are on a par with the A6, A8, S-Class, 7-Series and, at the top, the Panamera.
The Germans are used to selling the sea of gold to their (moderate) customers (Porsche in the lead with Audi).
That's why we often say:
"If you want an extraordinary limousine that is the most reliable in the world, go to Lexus!"
"If you want a lightweight Limousine with character and performance, go to Maserati!"