Italy may have given us Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Pagani, but the country’s more mainstream cars have been struggling for relevance for quite some time already. Sure, Fiat is doing fairly well in Europe, but the other marques? Not so much.
Alfa Romeo sales haven’t been outstanding, while Maserati has been on the brink of collapse since the ‘70s. As for Lancia? It’s exclusively Italian and invisible everywhere else, relying on the former glory of its successes in motorsport.
Another thing worth noting about the Italian car industry is that it’s pretty much controlled by one company: Stellantis. Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, and Maserati are under its wing, along with 11 other brands.
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The Italian automakers mentioned haven’t exactly flourished under Stellantis’ stewardship. Maserati, in particular, has taken a serious beating with just over 11,000 cars sold last year. Alfa Romeo, on the other hand, just sold a little over 60,000 units…which isn’t great either.
To turn the tide, Santo Filici, the CEO for both Alfa Romeo and Maserati, said the two brands will collaborate and work together for future products. At the same time, newly appointed Stellatis CEO, Antonio Filosa, is set to lay down the final details later this month.
It’s been made clear that the two brands will not merge. Instead, the aim is to consolidate their respective efforts, reduce costs, and expedite vehicle development times. “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,” Filici told Australian automotive publication, Drive.
It needs to happen fast, too. Alfa Romeo’s core products, the Giulia and Stelvio, are a decade old now. The Giulia is aimed at the likes of the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Lexus IS. Meanwhile, the Stelvio’s main rivals are the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Lexus NX. Other models in the Alfa stable are the Tonale subcompact crossover, and the Junior electric crossover.
Maserati’s range is a little fresher, but have been struggling for sales since their respective launches. The MC20 supercar is more a halo product, and the same goes for the GranTurismo. The Grecale is supposedly the volume seller, but it’s been glued on dealer lots.
The next few years will be crucial for these storied but often troubled brands. They have made iconic cars over the years, but have been blunted by decades of financial troubles. While it’s not the first time these brands are fighting for survival, the ever changing pace of the automotive industry means collaboration is the only way to move forward. The challenge will be maintaining each of the brand’s individuality while serving different demographics.
It won’t be easy, for sure, but it’s possible to make it work. A shining example is Hyundai and Kia with both sharing the same hardware among its products, but the end result are cars that feel different from one another. Alfa Romeo and Maserati can take a page out of the Koreans in making common ingredients work together while preserving their respective brand ethos.
