Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Automotive News
  • Automobilwoche
  • Automotive News Canada
  • Automotive News China
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Login
  • HOME
    • Latest news
    • Automakers
    • Suppliers
    • New Product
    • Environment/Emissions
    • Sales By Market
    • On The Move
    • Auto Shows
    • Munich Auto Show
    • Geneva Auto Show
    • Paris Auto Show
    • Beijing Auto Show
    • Shanghai Auto Show
  • Features
    • Long Read
    • Interview of the Month
    • Focus on Electrification
    • Focus on Technology
    • Segment Analysis
    • Cars & Concepts
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Europe By The Numbers
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Commentary
    • Guest columnists
  • Photos
    • Photo Galleries
    • Geneva Photo Gallery
    • Beijing Photo Gallery
    • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
    • Paris Photo Gallery
    • Shanghai Photo Gallery
  • Podcasts
  • Car Cutaways
  • EVENTS
    • ANE Congress
    • ANE Rising Stars
    • ANE Eurostars
    • Meet the 2021 winners
    • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
  • More
    • Publishing Partners
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
    • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
    • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
    • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
    • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
    • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
    • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
    • Toyota Europe
    • UFI Filters
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automakers
August 06, 2019 12:00 AM

Maserati won't see profits until after product offensive starts in 2020

Andrea Malan
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    maserati.jpg
    BLOOMBERG

    A custom Maserati Levante S Q4 GranSport was displayed during the 2019 New York auto show last month.

    Losses have deepened for troubled Maserati, which will not return to profitability before 2020 after its next product offensive starts, executives at parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said. The luxury car brand plans to debut 10 new or revised models between 2020 and 2023.

    Maserati posted a 119 million euro ($132 million) loss as it cut production to reduce dealer stocks by 3,000 vehicles and wrote down residual values in the U.S. Those two actions weighed heavily on Maserati during the quarter (see box, below).

    Maserati slashed shipments to dealers 46 percent to 4,200 cars in the second quarter while unit sales declined 17 percent to 7,200 vehicles.

    FCA Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer said dealer stocks of Maserati’s aging lineup would be reduced further during the second half of 2019. By year-end, the automaker wants to have enough supply to cover two to two-and-a-half months, down from five months at the end of 2018.

    FCA CEO Mike Manley called Maserati's sales volume "disappointing," and said the third and fourth quarters would also be difficult for the brand before things improve next year.

    On the bright side, Maserati’s Q2 unit sales decline was an improvement on the 32 percent slide during in the first three months of this year and was the brand’s smallest drop in the last 10 quarters. Margins in North America also improved in the second quarter, Manley added.

    Fast facts

    Key figures from Maserati’s Q2 financial results

    • Revenue: 343 million euros (-40%)
    • Adjusted EBIT: -119 million euros
    • Cost to reduce dealer stock: 60 million euros
    • Cost to write down U.S. residuals: 50 million euros
    Analysts skeptical

    Analysts were less impressed with Maserati’s performance. In a note to investors Alliance Bernstein’s Max Warburton said the automaker’s “problems become ever more apparent as the products wither in the market, falling far short of original ambitions.”

    Warburton was making a reference to the goal from FCA’s business plan covering 2014-2018, which predicted Maserati’s vehicle sales would rise to 75,000. Instead, they peaked at 48,700 in 2017 before slipping to 35,300 last year. Maserati’s first-half volume of 13,500 vehicles is 25 percent below its volume from the same period last year. In June 2018, Maserati set new targets: annual sales of 100,000 vehicles and a 15 percent operating margin by 2022.

    Steven Reitman of Societe Generale said during the call that Maserati’s results show “the unrealistic expectations” of the past. “Given Maserati’s asset base and given the volumes you’re realistically getting from these vehicles when you don’t overstock the dealers, do you think you have to look at impairments to bring asset value more in line with the sales level?” Reitman said to FCA CEO Palmer during the call.

    Palmer said Maserati’s sales are extremely sensitive to volumes, adding that “it doesn’t take a lot to improve once we get more engagement from the dealer body and more visibility on some models.”

    Fresh ideas, new models

    Maserati will count on a familiar executive and a new arrival to the team to fix the brand’s business.

    Former boss Harald Wester returned to Maserati in late 2018. As CEO he will work closely with new chief operating officer Davide Grasso, a marketing expert who Manley recruited from Nike.

    Those two will oversee the debut of 10 new or refreshed products between 2020 and 2023.

    Maserati’s revised portfolio that will include the launch of a new sports car as well as updates to the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans and Levante SUV next year.

    In 2021, Maserati plans to add an SUV below the Levante, a cabriolet version of the new sports car and the Granturismo coupe’s successor.

    The GranCabrio and Quattroporte successors are due in 2022 while the next-generation Levante should launch in 2023.

    Maserati’s new and revised models are expected to offer plug-in hybrid variants, FCA said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Return of the Moskvich: Russia to revive 'legendary' Soviet-era car after Renault exit
    Recommended for You
    Moskvich-427
    Return of the Moskvich: Russia to revive 'legendary' Soviet-era car after Renault exit
    Stellantis headquarters-main_i.jpg
    Stellantis reverses controversial changes in contract terms for suppliers
    Visitors Coventry airtaxi hub
    The world's first flying taxi hub takes shape in the English Midlands
    Sign up for free newsletters
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up and get the best of Automotive News Europe delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Get 24/7 access to in-depth, authoritative coverage of the auto industry from a global team of reporters and editors covering the news that’s vital to your business.

    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram

    Founded in 1996, Automotive News Europe is the preferred information source for decision-makers and opinion leaders operating in Europe.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI  48207-2997
    Tel: +1 877-812-1584

    Email Us

    ISSN 2643-6590 (print)
    ISSN 2643-6604 (online)

     

    Resources
    • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Awards
    • Rising Stars
    • Eurostars
    • Leading Women
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Automotive News Europe
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • HOME
      • Latest news
      • Automakers
      • Suppliers
      • New Product
      • Environment/Emissions
      • Sales By Market
      • On The Move
      • Auto Shows
        • Munich Auto Show
        • Geneva Auto Show
        • Paris Auto Show
        • Beijing Auto Show
        • Shanghai Auto Show
    • Features
      • Long Read
      • Interview of the Month
      • Focus on Electrification
      • Focus on Technology
      • Segment Analysis
      • Cars & Concepts
      • Supplier Spotlight
      • Europe By The Numbers
    • Opinion
      • Blogs
      • Commentary
      • Guest columnists
    • Photos
      • Photo Galleries
      • Geneva Photo Gallery
      • Beijing Photo Gallery
      • Frankfurt Photo Gallery
      • Paris Photo Gallery
      • Shanghai Photo Gallery
    • Podcasts
    • Car Cutaways
    • EVENTS
      • ANE Congress
      • ANE Rising Stars
        • Meet the 2021 winners
      • ANE Eurostars
        • Browse photos from the 2021 awards ceremony
    • More
      • Publishing Partners
        • Capgemini: Securing the industry's future through a radical rethink
        • Capgemini: Succeeding with the automated driving journey through AI
        • HEXAGON: Plugging into data is the only way to make winning EVs
        • TUV Rheinland: Battery testing center for large battery packs and more
        • TUV Rheinland: Ideas, services and certifications for smart mobility
        • TUV Rheinland: Testing of automated and autonomous vehicles on test tracks
        • Toyota Europe
        • UFI Filters
      • Social Media
        • Facebook
        • Instagram
        • LinkedIn
        • Twitter
      • Contact Us
      • Media Kit
      • About Us