Maserati UK sales (or rather lack of them)
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Guy
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well that's how it starts off and still looks like. Watch Harry's Video from last week. Something else.
HTAFC4200
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The Alfa dealer network put me off ever buying another. They literally have zero support from Alfa UK who expect showroom investment etc and they just eventually throw in the towel, one by one.
The Giulia and Stelvio are excellent products (apart from usual quality control).
The Giulia and Stelvio are excellent products (apart from usual quality control).
Italiano
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But yes italian cars look good
MrMickS
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We just replaced our Stelvio with a newer Giulia from our local dealer. It is one of the few left in the north of the country. The previous two have ceased being Alfa dealers since we bought cars from them.
I don't know how Alfa can address the sloppy journalism that means that pretty much every review contains something about build quality or reliability being "good for an Italian car". Maserati suffer from the same problem. There is a deep-seated public mindset that if you buy an Italian car you are taking a risk. This impacts second hand sales. Who would want an Italian car, with all its problems, out of warranty. This has an impact on residuals and therefore puts a damper on sales.
The only thing Stellantis can do here is go down the Korean route of offering long warranties. Then possibly extended warranties on drive train etc out beyond the existing 5 year limit. They did try offering longer service packs and warranties on the Stelvio and Giulia for a while, I'm not sure when that stopped and why they did that.
Guy
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not all of them!But yes italian cars look good
lozcb
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That my friend is all part of a growing issue all round, the faster cars become throw away items with shorter life expectancy , the more the parts issue to keep the older maintained will make some cars a no no in the used market doesnt matter how well its designed , customers will be left high and dry .........and when you know that before you start looking to buy a new car it really reduces the cars you tend to look for , any new car buyer always has resale in the back of his mind .................this problem will be exacerbated times 3 with electric vehicle if ever they become mainstream .
Guy
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After decades of German cars, I switched to Maserati and a Ferrari for the past nine years and I have been very pleased with the build quality but when you poorly manufacture cars from suspect materials throughout the 70s and 80s the reputation sticks. LR get away with it because they build differentiated products that everyone wants to buy but Alfa/Fiat stopped doing that but fixed the quality! Imagine if cars like the 105 or Fulvia or even Alfasud were allowed to evolve.
MrMickS
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They say they are profitable. There has been a new GTV/Spider in the roadmap for a long time. This is has also been slated to be made when they feel they are able to do it. At the moment I don't see the point in the UK. People would only moan about the cost and the lack of dealer support
The Milano, built on the same platform as the Jeep Avenger (?), is due to be unveiled on Wednesday. This will no doubt be met with similar derision to the Tonale in the UK. With Ford ditching the Fiesta for the Puma perhaps Alfa are going with the market early here instead of trailing. Time will tell.
It was never going to happen. They never even put the twin turbo V8 into the GT, which could have been an option but less noise. If you want to hear how bad a modern Italian V8 can sound follow an F8 Tributo, I did and couldn't hear it, or listen to the 488 Challenge Evos going around a track.
With Maserati making their own engine a V6 was always going to be a better proposition as it can be used in more vehicles, and is easier to make compliant with emissions etc. Wishing for a new V8 isn't going to happen. Most other manufacturers have downsized too.
dickygrace
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That’s why I’ve been saying for years, we’ve passed ‘peak car’ and now the best cars for folk like us are used examples around 1995-2018.They say they are profitable. There has been a new GTV/Spider in the roadmap for a long time. This is has also been slated to be made when they feel they are able to do it. At the moment I don't see the point in the UK. People would only moan about the cost and the lack of dealer support
The Milano, built on the same platform as the Jeep Avenger (?), is due to be unveiled on Wednesday. This will no doubt be met with similar derision to the Tonale in the UK. With Ford ditching the Fiesta for the Puma perhaps Alfa are going with the market early here instead of trailing. Time will tell.
It was never going to happen. They never even put the twin turbo V8 into the GT, which could have been an option but less noise. If you want to hear how bad a modern Italian V8 can sound follow an F8 Tributo, I did and couldn't hear it, or listen to the 488 Challenge Evos going around a track.
With Maserati making their own engine a V6 was always going to be a better proposition as it can be used in more vehicles, and is easier to make compliant with emissions etc. Wishing for a new V8 isn't going to happen. Most other manufacturers have downsized too.
100%. Sports cars have been fast enough for a long time so it is about experience, feel, noise, smell, looks. I've driven a few modern Porsches' and they don't sound anything like as good as any of the Maserati V6 and V8 engined cars I have owned. I've not driven the new V6 GranTurismo as I refuse to waste the dealer's time as I will not be buying but I strongly suspect the noise would not be right for what I want from this sort of car.
Guy
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Like a BMW M3/4. Just a dull blare
Erlingtheyounger
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Funny, I saw one of these in the flesh on Saturday in Rosso Red. I LOVED it on the pages of CAR magazine but in person, whilst moving and in that colour, I was completely underwhelmed. Shows beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess.
dickygrace
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I think they look miles better in blue, dark grey.
Nibby
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Somewhere on the net I see a photo of a black one with a black top and really looked great, the person who posted it (on Pistonheads I think) wasn’t too complementary and I thought just the opposite. Perhaps colour sensitive as Dicky says. I was in the minority with the Ferrari California, I thought they looked great in red but the majority don’t have a good word to see about them.
MrMickS
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I was at a Roma launch event at the local dealer. It looked really good in the colour they had there (pics below). I turned down a free trip to Italy to test drive one due to prior commitments, Maserati related, but am expecting a test drive later in the year. My problem with it will be the same as the new GranCabrio, direct sunlight on the screens you use to control everything make it difficult to make changes with the roof down. That said, who cares. You don't need the audio or air-con with the roof off
Nibby
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Looks stunning and best luck with your test drive.I was at a Roma launch event at the local dealer. It looked really good in the colour they had there (pics below). I turned down a free trip to Italy to test drive one due to prior commitments, Maserati related, but am expecting a test drive later in the year. My problem with it will be the same as the new GranCabrio, direct sunlight on the screens you use to control everything make it difficult to make changes with the roof down. That said, who cares. You don't need the audio or air-con with the roof off
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