Maserati to cap output at 75,000 cars

Fri, 18 Jul 2014

Maserati appears set to take a page out of corporate sibling Ferrari's playbook with the possibility that it may cap global annual output in the coming years. Ferrari announced in 2013 that it would limit itself to 7,000 vehicles a year to maintain exclusivity, and so far, it has stuck to the plan.

According to an unnamed Maserati executive speaking to Reuters, the Italian luxury car maker wants to cap its sales to 75,000 vehicles a year. However, it's hardly there yet. The company doesn't forecast reaching that production benchmark until 2018.

Dave Sullivan, an auto industry analyst for AutoPacific, thinks that limiting sales could be a smart move for Maserati. "If it is profitable at 75,000 and doesn't require a significant investment in capacity to get there, this appears to be sound," he said to Autoblog via email. "Alfa Romeo is intended to be the volume brand and by capping Maserati, it means that even if you opted to buy the 'entry level' Ghibli, you still have a level of exclusivity."

Maserati is on a spectacular growth path at the moment. After selling just 15,400 cars in 2013, sales are on track to at least double this year. Getting more units out the door should be helped by the brand's expanded model lineup, too. It plans to add the Levante crossover in 2015, a production version of its Alfieri Concept in 2016, a convertible version of it in 2017 and a replacement for the aging GranTurismo in 2018. For now, though, the still-new Quattroporte and Ghibli are making lots of friends.

By Chris Bruce