Maserati has been experiencing a period of significant difficulty for several months now, a condition that Santo Ficili, the new CEO of both Trident and Alfa Romeo, will have to address with new ideas and strategies to reposition the brand. Ficili‘s objectives are beginning to focus on possible solutions to implement, namely strongly necessary changes to restore Maserati to its deserved position. Santo Ficili discussed these possible paths with La Repubblica, acknowledging first that Maserati is centered around passionate people, being the only luxury brand in the Stellantis group’s galaxy of brands.
Maserati needs to change strategy after a disappointing 2024
According to Ficili, they will need to focus on the right marketing approach, looking at better product and price positioning “with targeted actions on our dealers, which are very important for a brand like ours, and dedicated activities for luxury clients,” Ficili admitted. The Trident CEO also acknowledged that Maserati will have the opportunity to grow again in markets like China and the United States, which represent strategic areas for the brand’s tradition.
Maserati today looks with interest at electrification-related topics and the ongoing transformation, although declining data and numbers worry unions and workers. In any case, the manufacturer’s current range, after ending production of Levante, Quattroporte, and Ghibli, now consists exclusively of MC20, Grecale, GranTurismo, and GranCabrio. Looking at sales data, it’s clear that almost all production is sold abroad: more than 86% of the total value of current production is exported outside Italy, where Maserati models are produced, a percentage that rises to 93% in the case of total Maserati MC20 production.
However, sales results for 2024 are anything but rosy, and it will now be up to Santo Ficili to implement an absolutely necessary change of course. Focusing on this aspect, the new Maserati CEO is convinced that the manufacturer can reverse the current situation by leveraging its status as a completely Made in Italy luxury brand, since every Maserati is “designed, developed, and produced in Italy in the heart of Motor Valley, which the whole world envies,” added Ficili.
Ficili also addressed the possibility that, being CEO of both Maserati and Alfa Romeo, some small synergistic relationship could be established between the two manufacturers. The head of both brands first acknowledged that the two manufacturers occupy different positions (luxury for Maserati and premium for Alfa Romeo) but that small industrial collaborations could arise, as in the case of synergies that led to the production of the new Grecale on a modified Giorgio platform to accommodate new powertrains, shared with Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio. Consequently, Santo Ficili admitted that “industrial synergies are already active and possible,” also considering the benefits of shared technologies available within Stellantis.
It remains to be seen whether Ficili can act more promptly to accelerate the launch of the new generation Quattroporte, as well as the future SUV that will replace the Levante. At this stage, it’s not yet clear whether these terms can be considered or not. There’s also the important chapter related to customization, fundamental for a luxury-oriented brand like Maserati, which centers on the Fuoriserie program.