Maserati is in a weird spot. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess. One minute they’re charging full-tilt into an all-electric future, and the next, they’re pumping the brakes so hard you can hear the tires screeching all the way from Modena. The Stellantis Maserati production shift isn't just a corporate move; it’s a survival tactic.
Sales dropped off a cliff recently. Last year, they moved just about 11,000 units globally—a staggering 50% plunge from the year before. When you’re a luxury brand, exclusivity is good, but disappearing from the market is bad. Very bad.
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The Move Back to Modena
Basically, Stellantis is centralizing. For a while, production was scattered, but the new plan—the 2026 reset—is moving the core of the brand back to its historic home in Modena. They’re ditching the "mass-market" luxury dream. No more chasing volume.
The strategy is now called "Bottega Fuoriserie." It sounds fancy, but it really just means they want to build fewer cars and charge a lot more for them. Customization is the new king. If you want a Maserati in 2026, you're likely going to wait six months for it because they won't build it until you order it.
Why the EV Hype Fizzled
We were told the Quattroporte and Levante would be electric by now. Nope. Those have been pushed back to 2027 and 2028. Why? Because the market for $150,000 electric sedans is, well, tiny.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, who is actually retiring in early 2026, has been pretty blunt about the costs. EVs cost about 50% more to build. When people aren't buying them, those costs become a lead weight around the company’s neck. They even wrote off a €1.5 billion investment in Maserati’s electrification efforts recently. That is a lot of "oops" money.
What's Actually Happening in the Factories
If you walk through the Cassino or Mirafiori plants right now, things are quiet. Too quiet.
- Mirafiori: They’ve had to extend production halts multiple times because the demand for the electric GranTurismo and the Fiat 500e just wasn't there.
- Cassino: Production of the Grecale (both gas and electric) has been hit by "technical pauses" throughout late 2025.
- Modena: This is the only place seeing real investment. They’re upgrading the workshops for the "Fuoriserie" program to handle high-end, bespoke builds.
The Stellantis Maserati production shift is a pivot from "Global Luxury Player" to "Italian Artisan." It's a gamble that people will pay more for a "perfect" car than a "convenient" one.
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The 2026 Turnaround Plan
By the middle of 2026, we’re supposed to see a new industrial plan under the new CEO, Santo Ficili. He’s the guy who has to clean up the mess. The goal is to make the Fuoriserie division account for nearly 40% of the brand's revenue.
They aren't giving up on electric entirely, though. The 2026 Grecale Folgore is still a thing, and it’s actually getting some cool tech, like a front-axle disconnect system that helps it get about 580 km of range. But the "all-electric by 2030" promise? That feels more like a "maybe" now.
It's Personal Now
It’s easy to look at spreadsheets and say, "Oh, they're just moving production." But for the workers in Italy, it’s stressful. The unions are constantly at odds with Stellantis leadership because the "production shift" often looks a lot like "production cuts."
The focus on craftsmanship requires fewer, more skilled hands rather than a massive assembly line. It’s a leaner, hungrier Maserati. Will it work? Honestly, it has to. Stellantis only funded these brands through 2026. After that, they have to eat what they kill.
Actionable Insights for Enthusiasts and Investors:
- Watch the Resale Value: Since Maserati is slashing production volumes to focus on "exclusivity," older internal combustion models (especially those with the Nettuno V6) might actually hold their value better than the early-run EVs.
- Order Early: If you’re actually in the market for a 2026 model, the "build-to-order" shift means you cannot expect to find what you want on a dealer lot. The era of the "push-to-sell" Maserati is over.
- Keep an Eye on the CEO Search: Whoever replaces Carlos Tavares at Stellantis in early 2026 will decide if Maserati stays in the portfolio or gets sold off.
- Customization is the New Standard: If you’re looking at a new Grecale or GranTurismo, look into the Fuoriserie program. That’s where the company is putting all its effort and quality control.
The trident isn't broken, but it is being sharpened. It just remains to be seen if there’s anyone left to poke with it by the time the shift is complete.