they wont make a sedan thoughOriginally Posted by Bleeding Heart
Enthusiast
they wont make a sedan though
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Super Moderator
once they add the turbos, turbo piping, intercoolers and work everything else so its stonger (and everything else thats required with this idea) youll probably find that there isnt anything light about that idea.
Last edited by Falcon500; 10-05-2008 at 08:31 AM.
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Furniture
I think that one of the main success points about Maserati is that they offer "affordable exotics".
They offer Aston Martin or Ferrari image at a fraction of the price. I don't know if producing more expensive Maseratis would be a clever idea.
Having said that I'm all for a 2 seater berlinetta. Current Maserati's lineup is missing it.
Lack of charisma can be fatal.
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Fanatic
Yeah, Maserati seems to offer bargains. I guess Maserati could expand its lineup with a smaller car, probably something like a Cayman, agree. But perhaps an bigger version of the QP would be welcomed imo. perhaps if offered in very limited numbers. but I'm fine with it and its price right now.
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Furniture
I don't think a Maser "Cayman" is a good idea either, because going down market could devalue the brand as well. They are perfect where they are now.
Just make a SWB Granturismo please.
Lack of charisma can be fatal.
Visca Catalunya!
Furniture
What is the point of Maserati in the first place? It didn't turn a profit for FIAT until Q2 of last year and even then it was only 1 million Euros. I don't know how things are now, but that was a good 17 years of loss.
So Maserati has two cars now, the Quattroporte and the GranTurismo. I posit that if Ferrari had made a sedan, it would have been more profitable, and I think that the California and 599 cover the GranTurismo territory well enough.
I repeat: what is the point of Maserati? An answer: to lose money for it's owner. Ok, so I'm kidding - but only a bit.
Before all y'all start hating on me, I dig the Quattroporte and it would be a shame if Maserati didn't exist, but I'm just not sure it is good business sense to have kept it alive. Now, things are going well and maybe you could argue that FIAT was thinking really longterm, but how much money has it lost in 17 years and how long will it take to get that money back? Would that money have been better used on Ferrari to make a sedan or elsewhere within FIAT?
These are questions I think deserve some thought.
Furniture
Maserati has seen an amazing turnaround, fron losing millions every year to winning money. Just for that it will continue to exist. And by the way, I doubt Alfa Romeo has turned a profit in 22 years of Fiat ownership, I guess they should kill that too.
The point of Maserati (and much the same story can be said about Lancia and Alfa Romeo) is that it simply appeals to a different type of costumer than that of Ferrari. Maseratis are more discreet and subtle and Ferraris are more noisy and striking. If you try to capture the Maserati costumer with a Ferrari you will probably fail (and viceversa).
Furthermore Maseratis are a lot cheaper than Ferraris. On that basis you couldn't capture Maserati's costumer without devaluing the Ferrari brand. Let's remember that the California will be more expensive than the F430, a car that already costs 50% more than a Granturismo.
Lack of charisma can be fatal.
Visca Catalunya!
Fanatic
Maybe in Europe it's different, but here there is nothing subtle about the people who buy Maseratis. All businessmen buy German, so the only people left to buy Italian are quite flashy.
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Yeah. Naturally aspirated can be much larger displacement for the same weight as forced induction, especially with air to water intercoolers. For a long time BMW considered turbos lowtech shortcuts to increase horse power, but since they're now using a twin turbo, maybe that's changed at least in part.
Enthusiast
Yeah, but flashier than a BMW or Audi still falls short of Ferrari levels of flashiness, and even further short of Lambo levels.
Fanatic
Fiat onws Maserati since 1995 (or '97?) so the 17 years of loss weren't all under the Fit's ownerships. and the reasons why Maserati had such a bad time are very connected to it's position in Italy and italian industry in this area (known as Emilia Romagna). another factor was the disastrous ownership by De Tomaso, a great man, but not a very great business man. Lamborghini was in the same condition of Maserati for many years. those kinds of brand can't live easily without a major group to share costs. I suppose the only one is AM, but we could say that it is now capitalizing all Ford's investments...
Btw, the reasons I pointed out are for example this: when De Tomaso was struggling with financial problems, he allowed the entrance of the "cooperative" in the factory's workers. "Cooperative" are organizations of workers with a (theoretically) very "communist" approach to work, and their purpose is to create a society completely owned by the workers. the reality is that in this area of Italy those are simply huge industrial groups in many case, and the purpose to help workers and the lowest lavel of the society keeping the costs at an acceptable level is gone. and they drained a lot of money out of Maserati, together with other factors. Something a little different happened to Fiat in the late eighties and first nineties when there was a strong political influence in the manufacturer's council.
don't forget that Maserati lived with an aging and repetetive lineup for many years, and that prevented it to make some decent money. while last years loss are due to hug investments and renovation's projects that now are finally making some profits.
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Rookie
Ferrari doesn't need a sedan they're practically at full production right now and producing more than they ever have, they stand to lose some exclusivity by producing a sedan.
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Fanatic
they built a new production line for the California, and there is still pace if they would need it.
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Supporting Admin
The California fits in their tradition.
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.
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Enthusiast
Didn't Ferrari once say that they would never go mid-engined? I think it's great that they refuse to follow the "4-door coupe" craze, I just hope it stays that way.
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