Maserati: 173 departures in Modena

A long series of obstacles…

Most of the employees who will leave Trident, or 130 people, are engineers and designers. This is certainly not an encouraging sign for the future development of the brand. This comes a few months after the closure of the Grugliasco factory, the former Bertone site that produced the Ghibli and Quattroporte. What could have been this beloved “Luxury” unit of Sergio Marchionne has gone pschiiiit, to be sold at the end of 2023. Several key executives have left the house in recent months (chief engineer and sales manager). That makes a lot of…

After a drop in sales in 2023, 2024 doesn’t look much better. In March, in Italy, Maserati recorded a drop in sales of 25.6%, with 349 vehicles registered, a figure that in the first quarter of the year fell by 23.7% with only 802 vehicles. Red alert!

In Modena, the FIOM CGIL union did not sign the agreement and attacked:

“This in Modena could determine the end of the research and development project that, just a few years ago, found its place in the factory’s Innovation Laboratory through Emilia Ovest. In addition to having a negative impact on the factory’s production capacity through Ciro Menotti, and therefore upon its full commencement of production, with a definite effect on the related industries.

At least at the Ciro Menotti production site, Maserati once again confirms the planned investment in the Workshop, the painting area and the customization of cars. A margin vector that Trident should definitely find growth entries for, with a premium position that should prioritize margin over volume.

The recovery plan was eagerly awaited

But Fiom Cgil still has some doubts:

“What color will Maserati paint when it stops new production in Italy?”. Even if the Workshop worked at full capacity from the end of 2024, as we expect, will it be enough to ensure full employment (around 200 workers) in the absence of new models until 2025? A new electric model is expected in 2025, but the question remains: will the single-car model be able to spread production? Even if electricity really becomes a replacement for the internal combustion engine, there are many doubts.”

Especially when we see the brakes on EVs at the moment…

For their part, Fim Cisl Emilia Centrale, Uilm Uil Modena and Aq Cfr claim a reduction in the number of redundancies compared to the company’s forecast, i.e. around a few hundred workers. The concession was made in the April 3 agreement that established the voluntary exit program.

Trade unions explain

“With this agreement, we managed to avoid an ax blow that could have dealt a huge blow to Maserati, in other words, we managed to buy time for the brand, but now we are asking for an end to the wave promises. We need an industrial plan, a recovery strategy Unions and institutions continue to work to have a meeting with CEO Carlos Tavares and we expect great attention in the table convened in mid-April at the Ministry of Commerce and Made in Italy. To Minister Urso we ask and will ask for a national support plan for the entire automotive sector, based on clear and measurable measures for the special case of Maserati which is one of the souls of the Emilian Motor Valley”.

While we wait for the 100% electric E-SUV (Levante) for 2027 and the 100% electric Quattroporte for 2028, the brand must hold the MC20 and MC20 Cielo (orders that do not decrease for 2024), the warm Grecale and Folgore, and the Granturismo and Grancabrio in oil and Folgore. However, for a brand that has built its image on its engines, the transition to electricity is very elegant. Purists and traditional customers may quickly reject it…and there is no guarantee of attracting new customers who are EV enthusiasts, who will go to safe values ​​that are already well established. You just have to see how Ferrari achieves this with great caution… A victim of a volatile position, uncertain product plans and marketing that has questions (what is the purpose of the FE, why not focus on the most visible and profitable GT3 on offer. that MC20 GT2 does well)

Source: Modena Today