Maserati to remain in Stellantis stable, despite CEO threat

Stellantis has issued a statement declaring it has no intention of offloading Maserati or any other brand in its large stable, just days after CEO Carlos Tavares warned that “if they don’t make money, we’ll shut them down”.

Since Tavares made the comments, which followed poor first-half financial results for Maserati in particular, speculation has been rife that the Italian sports-luxury brand might fall back into the clutches of previous partner Ferrari.

The future of other Stellantis brands including Lancia and DS were also reportedly under a cloud at the world’s fourth-largest car-maker, which has 14 brands under its umbrella including Jeep, Dodge, RAM, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot and Citroen.

In a bid to hose down the speculation, the car-maker’s statement read: “Stellantis has no intention of selling the Trident brand, just as there is no intention of aggregating Maserati with other Italian luxury groups.

“Stellantis restates unwavering commitment to Maserati’s bright future as the unique luxury brand of the 14 Stellantis brands.”

The company added that “Maserati is in a transition period towards electrification”, pointing to its Folgore BEV program, as well as EV options in GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Grecale.

“We confirm that [EV] successors of the Quattroporte and Levante are also in preparation,” the company said.

“The statements made in this regard do not find any kind of correspondence in the context of Maserati’s strategy within the long-term strategic plan ‘Dare Forward 2030’ of Stellantis.

“Maserati's mission is to write the future of mobility through the best performance in the luxury segment, focusing on the desires of its customers. To achieve its goals, the brand precisely targets a highly specific audience.

“Maserati is therefore setting up a series of initiatives to expand its presence in the global market, to strengthen the brand image and to underline the uniqueness of its products. Maserati is facing a major challenge and must remain focused on its objectives in the coming months.

“Stellantis reaffirms its commitment to its entire broad portfolio of 14 iconic brands and recalls that each of them has a 10-year horizon to build a profitable and sustainable business, while recognising that market volatility and temporary situations may cause fluctuations.”

In the earlier reports, Tavares said the car-making giant was taking steps to fix both weak margins and high inventory at its US operations and would not hesitate to axe underperforming brands that contributed to its income falling by 40 per cent to €8.5 billion ($A14b) in the first half of this year.

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