13.04.2012 MASERATI OUTLINES ITS PROPOSED PLANS TO ITALIAN PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND UNIONS

MASERATI HQ MODENA

Design, marketing and distribution activities for the entire Maserati product range will however remain located at the company’s existing Modena headquarters, in addition to production of the current GranTurismo.

As part of the strategy to expand its product offering and hopefully increase production ‘significantly’, Maserati has confirmed that it aims to introduce three new models in three different market segments over the next two years – this was the core thrust of a meeting the Trident held yesterday with Italian public officials and unions in Modena.

Maserati aims to build on its existing presence in 65 markets worldwide with several new products that are targeted at volume market segments. It hopes that the additions to the range will bring “a significant increase in production”, although it was unable to resist plucking the usual wild-end-of-the-spectrum number out of the air, stating in a press release yesterday that it will produce “up to 50,000 vehicles a year by 2015.” Last year, Maserati sold 6,159 cars.

Public officials and trade unions were presented with plans for the future organisational and industrial structure yesterday at the company’s headquarters in Modena.

With regard to industrial requirements, it was underlined that the current facilities will not be adequate to implement these targets. Given its location inside the city limits, said Maserati, the Modena plant cannot be expanded and, therefore, the decision was made some time ago to locate future production at the Officine Automobilistiche Grugliasco plant (the former Carrozzeria Bertone factory). Acquired by Fiat just over two years ago, a total of 500 million euros is being invested to upgrade the plant, according to Maserati. It will build the successor to the Quattroporte (currently built in Modena) as well as a smaller BMW 5-Series rival.

As well as plans for the two factories in Modena and Turin, the Trident will also build a luxury SUV based around the architecture of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee. This will be assembled at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Michigan and, Maserati says, is scheduled to arrive in the second half of next year.

Design, marketing and distribution activities for the entire product range will remain located at the company’s existing Modena headquarters, in addition to production of the current GranTurismo and GranCabrio ranges and, potentially from May 2013, Alfa Romeo’s projected 4C sportscar, which is planned to achieve production of up to 2,500 units per year.

With regard to the impact on employment, Maserati confirmed that, during this period of crisis, restructuring and capacity underutilisation will continue to be managed entirely through the use of the state-supported temporary layoff benefit schemes available. As on other occasions, however, adds the press release, every opportunity will be taken to utilise Maserati workers at other Fiat Group plants, although with almost every operational area suffering from overcapacity this is unlikely to be more than a token gesture.
 

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