A new direction for Maserati?

Mattp

Mattp

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501
Am I the only one that thinks the QP shouldn't shrink? It should be closer to an AMG S Class or M 7 Series - big power and big luxury - bring back electric door handles, get rid of the silly pop up door lock indicators - this isnt 1980!!!
The styling between the QP and Ghibli needs to diversify more, I think both are fine looking cars, a bit mainstream, but the resemblance is too close... it should be obvious that your driving a QP over the smaller car - as is, its pretty hard to tell the two apart unless you know. (I suppose thats why they had to put the names on the back!) and as much as i dislike the man, Doug Demaro, or whatever hes called, had some very valid points on the Fiat-ness of the Ghibli!

The Levante needs to stay - SUV type things are a thing...

but like everyone else, the main thing is a sports car, the GT is pretty, but mechanically and aesthetically is dated...

The Marque carries a lot of panache and is far from dead, the points on the trident just need sharpening...
 
outrun

outrun

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5,017
conaero

conaero

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34,632
Its all about the Italian engines. Get that right and the rest will follow.

If you were to take the V10 out of the Lambo, the V8 and V12 out of the Ferrari...what would you be left with?

I mean they took the V6 (Busso) out of Alfa and look what happened there (tried to pull the wool over our eyes with a pitiful GM V6). The put the V6 (QV) back in and voila.

The same can be said about Maserati. You take the V8 out (Merak/BiTurbo) and your left with nothing.

Rant over
 
rs48635

rs48635

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3,181
^^^^ Exactly.
My own running car (2006 QP V) is 12 years old with 92k clocked up, the last 50k on the same "worn out" clutch. A few bits need maintenance but worth running for the engine alone. Still sublime to me and most who hear it. Dare I say the best looking real world big car on the road. My entry to maserati was via Alfa but the V6 busso went, so I departed. Heard my first 3200 drive down narrow London streets and ran after it to hear more. In new shoes and suit on my first day in a new job. Anyone in a new ghibli been chased by fans yet?
 
rockits

rockits

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9,172
There is still certainly a market for a £120k 2 seater Italian V8. TVR have recognised this with a 100k V8. They need to make one. As the Costner film says.....build it and they will come ;)
 
P R

P R

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1,388
Caldy999 said:
Interesting viewpoint....

https://www.evo.co.uk/opinion/21967...-or-do-we-would-we-really-miss-maserati-if-it
Click to expand...

It is interesting but I think you could say that about many car makers nowadays. If Maserati went back to a couple of V8s, coupe, saloon even a smaller coupe too, they would be out of business in no time.

They need the SUVs, like it or not. I've said it before, what they then need to do is invest the profits into the sports car or a halo car. Look at Porsche. Arent 80% or so of their sales Cayennes and Macons? Without those they wouldnt be able to develop the 911 into the car it is today (they are undoubtably good even if I dont like them!).
 
outrun

outrun

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P R said:
It is interesting but I think you could say that about many car makers nowadays. If Maserati went back to a couple of V8s, coupe, saloon even a smaller coupe too, they would be out of business in no time.

They need the SUVs, like it or not. I've said it before, what they then need to do is invest the profits into the sports car or a halo car. Look at Porsche. Arent 80% or so of their sales Cayennes and Macons? Without those they wouldnt be able to develop the 911 into the car it is today (they are undoubtably good even if I dont like them!).
Click to expand...

Yes but Porsche wants to be very big and sell many units. I think that's Maserati's mistake - trying to emulate that without the might of one of the most profitable car makers behind it. I think Maserati should be making less than 20k cars a year and making them very well indeed to keep demand and supply in control. Ferrari do this very well, Maserati is capable of it as well.
 
P R

P R

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outrun said:
Yes but Porsche wants to be very big and sell many units. I think that's Maserati's mistake - trying to emulate that without the might of one of the most profitable car makers behind it. I think Maserati should be making less than 20k cars a year and making them very well indeed to keep demand and supply in control. Ferrari do this very well, Maserati is capable of it as well.
Click to expand...

Agreed, however if you only produce that many cars, to a very high standard / quality then the price has to be high. Ferrari can do that as they can charge around £200k for a mid specced entry level car.
 
B

bigbob

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8,972
P R said:
Agreed, however if you only produce that many cars, to a very high standard / quality then the price has to be high. Ferrari can do that as they can charge around £200k for a mid specced entry level car.
Click to expand...

20 years ago Maserati (I know I've been with them that long, deserve a long service award from Modena) used to be a tad cheaper than an Aston Martin. Since then AM have gone up price rise and Maserati have gone down. Rather than make cars in the £50-80k bracket they should be in the £80-120k range. They need a large and small couple/convertible range and an SUV, not bothered about a saloon but that can come again if market demand dictates.

What will be interesting is if a small Macan like SUV comes along. I think it will be a mistake as the cheaper cars give an opportunity for the press to really bash the brand as they are never as good as the German competition. For the more expensive cars that does not matter as people buy them for different reasons fully aware of that fact.

Lets face it Maserati has had so many different approaches over the years but the brand still has value and FCA have been underselling it in the mistaken belief that it was a competitor to the upper half of the range of their other Italian brand............strange corporate culture and decision making which has worked well for a while but is now really struggling.
 
outrun

outrun

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5,017
Ferrari only produce about 8,500 cars a year and are immensely profitable because of their brand and the incremental sales it supports. There is no reason, other than rubbish management, that Maserati cannot look at that model and produce cars from 60k to 150k and build their brand identity by racing, playing polo, yachting and the like to support the sales of clothing, mugs and key-rings. It takes a strategic plan that isn't wholly new and can be built from the learnings of others.
 
Phil H

Phil H

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4,170
I’ve long since held the view that it was a mistake for Maserati to compete with the likes of BMW and Mercedes, and on one of the threads some time ago I said about the Ghibli “if I’d wanted a BMW I’d buy a BMW”. It’s not often that I’m right about anything, but it does seem that Mr Manley is of a similar opinion and he sees the balance sheet.

Outrun says “I think Maserati should be making less than 20k cars a year and making them very well indeed to keep demand and supply in control.” I think he’s right, although that requires FCA to properly recognise the marque’s heritage and capitalise on it, thereby creating that demand; whether they have the talent and vision to do that is another question.

It beggars belief that the Alfieri fell by the wayside, but the initial development was done so maybe there’s a quick win to be had, if the will is there…….

PH
 
P R

P R

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1,388
The Ghibli was only ever meant to compete with the top end BMWs and Mercs. I think a big issue there was that (particularly) the diesel, didnt really on power and economy. These are easier comparisons with the opposition. Where it did trump them (IMHO), is the looks, design, cabin, aura.

Marchionnes philosophy on the Giulia was, make it lighter, faster, better handling than all the opposition, and they did it. They crushed it. Why not the same for Maserati? Even now, make the Alfieri better, faster, lighter stronger than the 911 (or whatever the benchmark is in the class it ends up in)..
 
Contigo

Contigo

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The Alfieri will be here 2021 but as said too little too late. They have focused too much on the Saloon and SUV cars and actually profits are still down despite record sales. I don't know what the answer is but they need to start building cars again which have the passion.
 
T

TimR

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Messages
2,731
The marque, the brand - it has presence and reputation (perhaps not always good I hate to tell yous) What that means for selling cars isnt the same as building cars somehow..
Heritage has value. I m not turned on when iI see branding in the marketplace as it so often results from calculated corporate wool pulling...Maserati are just as capable of doing this to themselves as any other brand...
In future, cars wont be what we see and recognise as cars today, even so we cant agree what that is..
Maserati need to take a name, a passion for what they do ( if they know anymore) and run with it with an eye on the future. It doesnt matter what came before in so many ways...!
 
GeoffCapes

GeoffCapes

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14,000
mattjevans said:
For volume sales add an estate and a coupe "New Shamal"?
Click to expand...

A new Shamal, should be a must IMHO. That way Maserati can build a low volume, 'animal' of a car and twin turbo charge it just like the original.
That way they can meet emissions levels and be acceptable to the purists.

Imagine a 100-150k twin turbo, lightweight beast that goes like a stink and sounds like an animal.
What is Marcello Gandini doing these days? Tell him to get his pencils out! He can do the design.
 
T

TimR

Member
Messages
2,731
Whilst it's true that Porsche were dying in the ar5e before they produced the Cayenne, and they posted record profits last year, handing a bonus to each and every factory floor and assembly line worker; The Cayenne isnt a great car. It isnt when you think that it constituted a betrayal of the sports car ethos for many..And it just isnt ! Tha Macan is better and has shown itself to have more longterm desireabilty than its big brother....Its all for nought though. The Cayenne sells by the bucket load.
Maserati will shoot themselves in the other foot if they try making + substandard+, mass appeal vehicles that destroy the brand reputation and further damage their credibilty ...
For me, Id rather see them close the doors. Rossi may still be doing it but so many fail to recognise when to quit....! :p
 
W

Wagons-Lits

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Messages
250
bigbob said:
20 years ago Maserati (I know I've been with them that long, deserve a long service award from Modena) used to be a tad cheaper than an Aston Martin. Since then AM have gone up price rise and Maserati have gone down. Rather than make cars in the £50-80k bracket they should be in the £80-120k range. They need a large and small couple/convertible range and an SUV, not bothered about a saloon but that can come again if market demand dictates.

What will be interesting is if a small Macan like SUV comes along. I think it will be a mistake as the cheaper cars give an opportunity for the press to really bash the brand as they are never as good as the German competition. For the more expensive cars that does not matter as people buy them for different reasons fully aware of that fact.

Lets face it Maserati has had so many different approaches over the years but the brand still has value and FCA have been underselling it in the mistaken belief that it was a competitor to the upper half of the range of their other Italian brand............strange corporate culture and decision making which has worked well for a while but is now really struggling.
Click to expand...

I agree with this about the SUV - and while I love the idea of the QP, it seems like days of a saloon being the flagship have passed. X7 will probably outsell the 7 series before long, Q8 overtaking A8 etc - only the S class seems immune in the volume premium flagships.

It makes much for sense for the Levante to become the new 4 door and drop the Ghibli and QP. As for the driven market, there seems to be no shortage of people willing to be driven around in RRs and Bentagyas. There's plenty of different directions you can take a high riding/all or four wheel drive SUV type car - just keep them V8 powered and mix in the tech/hybrid/electric stuff at the top end.

Why do all the model lines need different engines if there's a solid underlying unit like we had with the F136? It served the QP/GT/Grancab generation perfectly fine

That would free up space to focus on the stuff that gets us excited, the GT cars (big and small, coupe and cab) and every generation a new halo car that blends the best of luxury and latest tech. Use the Ferrari connection (implied or otherwise) one more time around but hopefully thereafter Maserati will have the product and confidence to stand on its own
 
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