ITALY: Maserati seen back in profit

[Coaster]

19 February 2007 | Source: just-auto.com editorial team

Maserati is promising an end to its 17-year streak of financial losses with the introduction of new models, its CEO told Automotive News Europe (ANE).

"We will definitely break even this year," Robert Ronchi said. The introduction of the upper-premium Quattroporte sedan, with a new automatic_transmission, and the Granturismo, a new four-seat coupe, has given Fiat executives reason to hope this year.

Code-named the M145, the coupe's interior and exterior were done by Pininfarina. Maserati will unveil the newest member of its lineup at next month's Geneva motor show.

"Maserati will finally return to profitability in 2007," said Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Maserati parent Fiat group. The new version of the Quattroporte alone is expected to help boost sales from 5,600 to 7,600 in 2007. Potential customers had complained that the old Quattroporte's automatic transmission was sub-standard.

The car maker worked with ZF Friedrichshafen to install a better version of the company's six-speed automatic transmission, Antonio Cesaretti, head of the Quattroporte project at Maserati told ANE.

[simonepietro]

dal salone di ginevra.

Fiat has invested a lot of money in Maserati since buying it from Ferrari in 2005 and the new GranTurismo coupe is the first model to be developed under the Fiat umbrella. To increase its sales Maserati is considering adding a new model, but Ronchi ruled out the possibility of an SUV and instead said it will most likely be a small coupe

[stev66]

non dimentichiamo che lo scorporo Ferrari-Maserati e' stata na partita di giro....