Stellantis has felt compelled to issue its CEO Carlos Tavares' threat to close Maserati.
– Stellantis reiterates an unwavering commitment to Maserati's bright future.
That's how it now sounds in a statement to Motor1 from the world's fourth largest car group, Stellantis. It is less than a week ago that the group's managing director threatened to close the brand.
The director says the group is prepared for this, because there are a number of car brands that do not make money.
– We can't afford to have brands that don't make money, let the cash announcement from Carlos Tavares.
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The announcement immediately caused people in and around the car industry to speculate about which brands are under fire. Most people point to Maserati and the Italian sister brand Lancia.
Interestingly, Stellantis has not shunned Carlos Tavares in the same way when it comes to Lancia. These days, the small car brand is otherwise trying to resurrect itself.
Lancia hopes to pique motorists' interest by calling a Peugeot 208-e with different headlights the new Ypsilon.
Another car brand that could get the knife is Citroen's spin-off DS, because the brand only generates a minimal profit. The same is otherwise the case with Lancia.
The Stellantis group itself came out of the first six months of 2024 with a profit of 5.6 billion euros, corresponding to just under 42 billion kroner. And although it is a lot of money, it is almost 50 percent less than the same period in 2023.
Something that is fixed in addition to the smaller profit is that Stellantis must save. At least in the US. Automotive News writes this week that the group is once again offering several thousand employees money to resign. Most recently, the same thing happened in November 2023.
At home, it will look bleak for Maserati if the brand's survival depended entirely on the Danish sales figures. Because there are hardly any. The Danish importer has sold just 6 cars in six months in 2024.
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