Maserati is on the brink of being transformed from a niche car-maker to a serious prestige-car player – and has resurrected plans to join the global SUV boom.
Following four successive years of posting a profit, the Italian brand is about to embark on a complete overhaul of its line-up – and double the number of vehicles in its range from two to four.
The still reatively new GranTurismo coupe and convertible will come in for a freshen-up in the next two years while the Quattroporte sedan – now eight years old – is due to be replaced in the same time frame by an all-new, larger, super-luxury limousine.
Before they arrive, the Maserati range is due to be joined in 2012 by an all-new mid-sized luxury saloon designed to take-on the Jaguar XF, Mercedes-Benz E Class and BMW 5 Series sedans.
But the big news is the revival of a Maserati SUV due in 2013. Executives at a media preview of the Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale in Italy overnight were tight-lipped about the future model line-up, but the boss of the company, Sergio Marchionne, has already made his plans clear.
He hinted strongly to the media at the Detroit motor show in January this year that the company planned to build a Ferrari-powered Maserati SUV based on the Grand Cherokee's underpinnings (itself a derivative of the Mercedes-Benz M Class following the previous but now defunct merger with Chrysler and Mercedes).
When talking about the new Grand Cherokee and its possible applications elsewhere in the newly married Chrysler-Fiat Group, Marchionne reportedly told the Wall Street Journal: "This is just a great architecture, why wouldn't I put a Maserati on it?"
Industry speculation says it will be as big -- if not bigger than -- a Porsche Cayenne and powered by a choice of V8 or V12 power sourced from Ferrari.
In a move that seems to mirror Porsche's arrangement with the Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg (which are both are twins under the skin but have a different appearance) Alfa Romeo is said to also get a version of the vehicle with diesel and petrol V6 power.
The move to add an SUV to its line-up marks a stark turnaround for Maserati. It unveiled an SUV concept car called the Kubang at the 2003 Detroit motor show – but backed down amid fears it would dilute the brand and make it less exclusive.
But the continual growth of SUV sales over the past decade means that Maserati can no longer ignore this crucial sector.
An SUV would also further help Maserati's bottom line and more than triple its sales beyond 20,000 per annum.
A company spokesman told the Carsales Network overnight that Maserati had not made a profit since 1993 when Fiat acquired the brand – until 2007. It has returned modest profits ever since.
Maserati was popping champagne corks in 2007 after ending the year 24 million Euros in the black – after the previous year's 53 million Euro loss and more than a decade of losses leading up to that point.
In 2008 – the company's record year with 8500 sales – it banked 70 million Euros profit. It has stayed in the black since then but the GFC has taken its toll, posting a profit of 11 million and 24 million Euros respectively for 2009 and 2010.
North America remains the biggest market for Maserati, but China has shot to the number two spot this year after finishing 2010 as the fourth biggest market.
Last year Maserati sales in North America were up by 47 per cent, and in China they were up 54 per cent.
In Australia, Maserati sales were up 17.5 per cent last year (140 sales compared with 121 the previous year).
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