Italy’s struggling luxury car brands may look to pool their resources – but keep each brand name alive – to reverse sliding sales and escape a wave of new competition.
Global car giant Stellantis looks to be weeks away from unveiling a plan to save two of its most beleaguered brands, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, amid sales declines and growing competition.
And it will involve the storied Italian car makers finding “synergies” in their future models – although seemingly not a full merger – to reduce cost in parts of the market where they offer similar vehicles.
It comes amid continued denials from top Stellantis executives that Maserati may be sold off, and reports claiming Alfa Romeo’s crucial next new model – the Stelvio SUV – has been delayed.
Alfa Romeo sales were down by an estimated 20 per cent last year, while Maserati was down more than 50 per cent, despite the launch of new models.
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Both companies are well down on their best sales performance, the former last year selling half the number of cars it did in 2018.
Alfa Romeo and Maserati CEO Santo Filici told Australian and Asian media a turnaround “plan” is underway, pending final approval from incoming Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, after his embattled predecessor, Carlos Tavares, resigned in December.
“We will have the new [Stellantis] CEO [on the] 23rd of June. There will be an announcement to define the alignment with him,” Filici said.
“Then after this time, we will go ahead with the presentation of the strategic plan of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, together finding synergies where is possible.”
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The plan – which is not expected to be a merger, but rather will likely see the brand share more platforms and features – will include more than just new models to boost sales.
“Of course, we are touching … [vehicle] development. It’s one of the pillars that’s in this plan that we are going to close.
“For sure, we are also touching other columns … meaning organisation [structure], meaning our [dealer] network footprint, and … considering our plants here in Italy. There is a big job to do. We are going to close this plan.”
After its establishment in 2021 as the merger of Fiat–Chrysler and Peugeot–Citroen, Stellantis gave its 14 brands a decade to prove themselves, before decisions are made to shut them down or scale them back.
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A spanner was thrown in the works when reports emerged that Stellantis was considering the sale of Maserati.
It followed comments from Tavares in August 2024 that brands which “don’t make money” will be “shut down”, telling reporters “we cannot afford to have brands that do not make money.”
Stellantis has confirmed it has hired strategy firm McKinsey and Co. to determine a path forward for Maserati and Alfa Romeo in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on imported goods.
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About 30 per cent of Maserati sales, and 15 per cent of Alfa Romeo sales, come from the US.
Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo has reportedly delayed its next-generation Stelvio (above) to develop – and launch the car – with petrol engines, rather than introducing it as an electric vehicle.
Managers at the factory where it is built have reportedly told Italian media outlets the production line to build the new model is ready, but to date no pre-production examples with petrol engines have been built.
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