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Maserati orders explode, 22,500 through September

Last year when Maserati revealed a plan to sell 50,000 units globally by 2015, it seemed like a pretty steep goal for an automaker that had sold just 6,300 units for the entire year. It turns out that goal may be a little on the conservative side. Through September, Automotive News Europe says the Italian automaker has already racked up 22,500 orders mainly on the backs of the redesigned Quattroporte and the all-new Ghibli, and there are still more new products in the pipeline.
Back in August, we heard that demand in China was playing a strong role in Maserati's big numbers in 2013, and this doesn't even include the upcoming Levante SUV, which Maserati CEO Harald Wester expects to add as many as 25,000 units to the mix when it goes on sale in 2015. According to the ANE report, the Quattroporte is still the most popular model with almost 10,000 orders so far this year, while the smaller and more affordable Ghibli is performing quite well with almost 8,000 orders; the aging, but soon-to-be-replaced, GranTurismo models have about 5,000 orders.

Maserati preparing electric Quattroporte for 2028

Maserati's range will look a lot different in 2030 than it did in 2020. The brand has already confirmed that the Quattroporte and the Levante will both be replaced by electric models, and it told us when we'll see both models while shedding light on the other cars in the pipeline. The final Quattroporte rolled off the Turin, Italy, assembly line in December 2023. The smaller Ghibli and Maserati's V8 engine died at that time as well, and they're not coming back. Instead, the brand will remain without a sedan in its lineup until 2028, when it plans to release an electric follow-up to the Quattroporte. It's too early to provide concrete details about the model, but Maserati released one interesting tidbit of information: While the EV will carry the historic Quattroporte nameplate into the 2030s, it will be closer to the Ghibli in terms of size. When it lands, the next Quattroporte will join a battery-powered SUV described as an E-segment model that sounds a lot like the Levante's electric replacement. Production of the Levante continues, even without a V8 option, and we don't know when the big SUV will retire yet. As of writing, it sounds like both models will be only offered with an electric drivetrain. Until then, Maserati will continue to offer gasoline- and battery-powered versions of the cars in its range. We've seen and driven the GranTurismo Folgore, and the coupe will spawn a convertible called GranCabrio later in 2024 that will also be available with either a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 or three electric motors. Even the MC20 supercar will be offered with electric power: The Folgore model previewed in 2020 will reach production by the end of 2025. Note that these EVs won't replace the gasoline-burning variants: "We're going to let buyers decide [whether they prefer the V6 or the EV]," Maserati told me. Maserati stresses that all of these electric models will be designed, developed, and manufactured in Italy. It notably invested a significant amount of money into modernizing the research and development center it operates deep within its decades-old headquarters in Modena. Related video:

Fiat Chrysler's profit boosted by Ram and Jeep in North America

MILAN/DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler took the market by surprise by sticking to its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday after a strong performance from its Ram pickup truck in North America helped it defy an industry slowdown. Chief Executive Mike Manley, in FCA's first earnings release since a failed attempt to merge with France's Renault, also left the door open to that or other deals. "We are open to opportunity," Manley said on a call with analysts. "I have no doubt why there still would be interest in it," he added, when pressed on what it would take to revive talks with Renault. Manley declined to comment further. FCA last month abandoned its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world's third-biggest automaker. Manley said a merger was not a must-have and Fiat Chrysler's business plan was strong. The company said it remained confident its adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) would top last year's 6.7 billion euros ($7.5 billion). Given disappointing forecasts from other automakers this earnings season, FCA's confirmation of the outlook sent Milan-listed shares in the Italian-American automaker, whose other brands include Jeep, up over 4%. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, forcing FCA's competitors — including Renault, Daimler and Aston Martin — to cut their sales forecasts after second-quarter results, while U.S. carmaker Ford gave a weaker-than-expected 2019 profit outlook. Japan's Nissan, a long-term partner of Renault, said it would cut 12,500 jobs by 2023 after its earnings collapsed. In the second quarter FCA's adjusted EBIT totaled 1.52 billion euros, versus analysts' expectations of 1.43 billion euros, according to a Reuters poll. FCA's U.S. shipments were down 12% in the second quarter but the group said that the successful performance of its Ram brand resulted in an enhanced share of the large pickup truck market of 27.9%, up 7 percentage points from last year. Adjusted EBIT margin in North America rose to 8.9% from 6.5% in the first quarter, thanks to strong demand for the heavy-duty Ram and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup. Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer also said FCA expected to report up to 10% margins in the region in both the third and fourth quarters.