Quattroporte Fast Out of Gate for Maserati

TURIN, Italy – The new Maserati Quattroporte is off to a fantastic start following its launch in January, says CEO Harald Wester, noting the brand is firmly on course to selling 50,000 vehicles annually by 2015.

In its first four months on the market, the sports sedan has been accelerating to a record-setting pace of 6,100 units, and its success is adding to the prestige, credibility and premium image of the Maserati brand.

In addition, other models are benefiting from the attention being paid to the Quattroporte, with total Maserati orders in January-April topping 10,000 vehicles worldwide. With plans for the new Ghibli to be in the hands of initial buyers in August, the auto maker appears to be on track to hit its 20,000-unit global sales target for the year.

Wester says Maserati aims to cover 100% of the luxury market worldwide (estimated at 940,000 units annually) by 2015, compared with 21% in 2011, with the launch of additional high-end sedans to complement the Quattroporte flagship and a new luxury SUV on the way.

As anticipated, China and the U.S. are playing major roles in the auto maker’s growth.

In China, 2,862 orders were received in the first 10 days following the launch of the detuned 330-hp V-6 Quattroporte at the Shanghai auto show.

In the U.S., Quattroporte orders reached 1,809 units through April, compared with just 641 in Europe.

The U.S. by far is the biggest market for Maserati’s Gran Turismo and GranCabrio sports cars, with more than 1,900 orders so far this year, roughly four times the volume in China and Europe.

With new versions of the Quattroporte launching with the V-6 engine, Q4 all-wheel drive and 8-speed automatic transmission, plus the Ghibli on the way, sales in Europe also should climb significantly.

If the market outlook holds true, the challenge for Maserati will come from the manufacturing front.

In the next few months, Maserati will need to prove it can increase production while maintaining quality. Its new factory in Grugliasco has a target of 17,000 units this year and 38,000 in 2014 on two shifts.

If the auto maker succeeds in ramping up output, it could help convince Fiat and Chrysler to follow through on plans to produce a premium SUV on the new Grand Cherokee platform for Jeep, Maserati and, perhaps, Alfa Romeo at Fiat’s Mirafiori plant.

Reportedly, and somewhat surprisingly, the Mirafiori plant in Turin would get final approval only after the new Ghibli confirms Maserati’s target of 50,000 sales annually by 2015 is realistic.