Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares Claims Maserati’s Woes Due To Poor Marketing

by Carl Malek | September 19, 2024

As Maserati continues to struggle with poor sales and a sluggish transition into EVs, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says that poor marketing is to blame for the brand’s ongoing woes.

The Folgore is Maserati’s first all-electric model and it’s coming at a time when the brand’s future is under the microscope.

It’s no secret that all is not well at Maserati. While the Italian luxury brand is benefitting from the increased publicity that the MC20 supercar and the GranCabrio Folgore are generating, it’s also struggling with sluggish sales and a product lineup that’s an eccentric mixture of brand-new models and aging nameplates that have long overstayed their welcome.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares revealed that poor marketing was responsible for Masrati’s troubles. But as turmoil reigns supreme at Stellantis, it’s clear that other factors are rapidly rising to the surface which threaten to potentially cause Maserati to be shut down and become an interesting footnote in the pages of history.

Tavares blames marketing, but is that the real smoking gun?

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says that Maserati’s woes are due to poor marketing.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares made the remark in a recent interview with assembled media with the CEO attempting to lay out the groundwork for Maserati’s ongoing problems stating “With Maserati, we have the right cars and we have the right technologies. We can offer thermal or 100% electric luxury sports cars. If sales are sluggish right now, it is a matter of marketing. We have also improved a lot on the quality front, but now we need to work on marketing. We lack prospects and leads, we need to reach potential customers and deliver the right message for the right positioning.”

While Tavares made some valid points about the current state of Maserati’s marketing wing, Maserati owners we spoke with and others online have vented their frustration at the brand in recent years and point to more of the blame being centered on the product lineup itself. While certain models like the Maserati MC20 and the recently unveiled GranCabrio Folgore are exempt from this, other models are not as lucky. For example, the Quattroporte and the Levante are noticeably aging with the Levante also not meeting its sales targets. Meanwhile, the smaller Grecale was supposed to give Maserati a smaller SUV that would allow the brand to appeal to a wider range of buyers. As for the Ghibli sedan, it’s also aging and it has rapidly become an afterthought in Maserati’s sales numbers with the four-door currently being the worst-selling model for many dealerships.

Maserati is on borrowed time

Maserati is continuing to transition to an all-EV lineup but the clock is ticking.

This recent statement from Tavares follows on the heels of past commentary the CEO made about all 14 brands under the corporate umbrella (Maserati included) with Tavares hinting at a bad future for the brand stating “If they don’t make money, we’ll shut them down. We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money.” It’s as simple as that.” This forced Stellantis to issue an official clarification with the company claiming that all 14 brands would stay in their current form which is reflective of an initiative Stellantis kicked off back in 2021 with struggling brands in particular having 10 years to right the ship.

In the case of Maserati, it hopes to use that time to jumpstart its EV ambitions. In addition to the GranCabrio Folgore, Maserati will also make a Folgore version of the MC20 in 2025 with a large EV SUV set to arrive in 2027. Other models will include an all-electric version of the Quattroporte which will retain the moniker but will get all-new exterior styling and a revamped interior to help it keep up with the times. It remains to be seen if all of this will be enough to help Maserati stay alive, but if it all falls into place, it might help the luxury brand avoid the chopping block.