Stellantis is seriously considering the possibility of finding a new placement for Maserati. The luxury brand is evidently the one struggling the most within the group. The negative financial results are currently at the center of strategic reflections. Such a situation hasn’t been seen for a long time. Natalie Knight, Stellantis’ Chief Financial Officer, stated that the group is examining the best options to “fix” Maserati. The future of the great brand doesn’t seem bright, especially considering the previous cracks that have begun to undermine the confidence and certainties of the Italian car manufacturer.
Will Maserati be sold by Stellantis? Currently, there are three options on the table
“The future consists of maintaining maximum value. There may come a time when we need to ask ourselves what the best placement for Maserati is,” these are Knight‘s words. Maserati’s situation worsened during 2023, with a decline in sales and significant difficulty in recovering at the beginning of this year. Not to mention leadership changes, delays in launching new products, and technical uncertainties about Stellantis’ STLA Large platform.
Maserati’s absence at the Stellantis Investor Day 2024 was emblematic, being the only brand not represented. What are the main options for the group? The first could be the complete sale of Maserati to another company. Among the potential buyers are various automotive groups, although names are not yet public. Ferrari seems to be a plausible candidate, with rumors circulating for months about it. The second option is to put Maserati in a position to work as an independent company with Stellantis as a shareholder. Among other shareholders, again Ferrari or another major company.
The strategy aims to restructure Maserati while maintaining the link with Stellantis. This option has been discussed for months, with the group having expressed the ambition to transform Maserati into a completely electric brand, an option that is currently very unrealistic. At the moment, in fact, no luxury brand has adopted an entire electric range.
Despite positive reviews of the latest Folgore models, Maserati’s electric transition would seem premature and in a still shaky market. The termination of the contract with Ferrari for engine supply has left Maserati without new solutions, relying only on the Alfa Romeo V6 evolved into the Nettuno V6. It is, looking at the bigger picture, a platform difficult to adapt to an electrified infrastructure. Only uncertainties, therefore, at the moment. The coming months will be crucial in determining the fate of this iconic Italian brand that has contributed so much to the meaning of luxury cars.