Blue Whale News, November 9th (Reporter Lu Pengpeng) Only over 30 vehicles are sold in China in a month? Maserati, once known as the 'queen of sports cars', is now being relegated to obscurity by domestic consumers.
Monthly sales in double digits? Maserati's sales in China have plummeted
According to the data released by the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Branch of the China Automobile Dealers Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Passenger Car Association Branch"), Maserati's import sales in the Chinese market were 4264 units in 2023. In 2024, Maserati's sales experienced a cliff like decline.
From January to September 2024, Maserati's cumulative import sales in the Chinese market were 878 units, a year-on-year decrease of 79%. From July to September this year, Maserati's import sales in the Chinese market were 32, 31, and 38 vehicles respectively, which is significantly lower than the previous monthly sales level of several hundred vehicles.
In addition to declining sales, Maserati's prices are no longer high. Taking the new model Grecale as an example, on multiple automotive information platforms, the suggested retail price for this model ranges from 650800 to 1038800 yuan, but some dealers have quoted a bare car price as low as 500000 yuan.
Sales are weak, prices are declining, and various data indicate that the once dominant sports car queen has gradually fallen from grace. Some online polls even boldly say, "Nowadays, even the CEOs in novels don't drive this car anymore
So what is the real market situation for Maserati?
Blue Whale News reporters found that Maserati currently has more than 30 dealers in China.
The reporter contacted a Maserati 4S store in Shanghai, and the salesperson revealed to the reporter, "It's unlikely that there will be just over 30 units sold in China in a month. Our store alone can sell more than ten units in a month, not to mention other stores. For example, the GrayJia model sells very well, especially the white and red exterior and interior models, which have basically been sold out
When asked about the price, the salesperson said, "Currently, the discounted price of the GrayJia is over 600000 yuan, and even a used car that has been driven for thousands of kilometers can be priced at over 500000 yuan. Because the bare car price of the GrayJia is not high, the resale value of the car is relatively high
The reporter learned from several other 4S stores that there are indeed cases where sales have not opened for 20-30 days. The other party explained, "Low sales are not a problem faced by Maserati as a brand. Maserati is already a niche brand, and its product positioning is ultra luxury, with its own brand premium, reaching a higher end customer base. Therefore, we cannot simply measure it by sales volume. We still have a very loyal customer base
Why can't ultra luxury cars sell anymore?
Sales have been closed for dozens of days
According to the data released by the Passenger Car Market Information Joint Branch of the China Automobile Dealers Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Passenger Car Association Branch"), Maserati's import sales in the Chinese market were 4264 units in 2023. In 2024, Maserati's sales experienced a cliff like decline.
From January to September 2024, Maserati's cumulative import sales in the Chinese market were 878 units, a year-on-year decrease of 79%. From July to September this year, Maserati's import sales in the Chinese market were 32, 31, and 38 vehicles respectively, which is significantly lower than the previous monthly sales level of several hundred vehicles.
Data source: Passenger Car Association Branch
In addition to declining sales, Maserati's prices are no longer high. Taking the new model Grecale as an example, on multiple automotive information platforms, the suggested retail price for this model ranges from 650800 to 1038800 yuan, but some dealers have quoted a bare car price as low as 500000 yuan.
Sales are weak, prices are declining, and various data indicate that the once dominant sports car queen has gradually fallen from grace. Some online polls even boldly say, "Nowadays, even the CEOs in novels don't drive this car anymore
So what is the real market situation for Maserati?
Blue Whale News reporters found that Maserati currently has more than 30 dealers in China.
The reporter contacted a Maserati 4S store in Shanghai, and the salesperson revealed to the reporter, "It's unlikely that there will be just over 30 units sold in China in a month. Our store alone can sell more than ten units in a month, not to mention other stores. For example, the GrayJia model sells very well, especially the white and red exterior and interior models, which have basically been sold out
When asked about the price, the salesperson said, "Currently, the discounted price of the GrayJia is over 600000 yuan, and even a used car that has been driven for thousands of kilometers can be priced at over 500000 yuan. Because the bare car price of the GrayJia is not high, the resale value of the car is relatively high
The reporter learned from several other 4S stores that there are indeed cases where sales have not opened for 20-30 days. The other party explained, "Low sales are not a problem faced by Maserati as a brand. Maserati is already a niche brand, and its product positioning is ultra luxury, with its own brand premium, reaching a higher end customer base. Therefore, we cannot simply measure it by sales volume. We still have a very loyal customer base
Production and research lag behind, brand effect failure
Why can't ultra luxury cars sell anymore?
As one of the Italian super luxury car brands, Maserati was born on December 1, 1914 in Bologna, Italy. It has a history of over a hundred years and was once known as the "queen of sports cars", alongside Ferrari and Lamborghini, becoming the "two emperors and one queen".
Over the past century, Maserati has undergone multiple changes in ownership. Acquired by French Citroen in 1968; In 1975, it was transferred to Benelli Motorcycle Company, which was controlled by Argentine driver Alessandro de Tomaso, and merged into Fiat Group in 1993; In 2021, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged with Peugeot Citroen to form the Stellantis Group, which now directly owns Maserati.
It is worth mentioning that Stellantis is the fourth largest automotive group in the world. In addition to Maserati, it also owns numerous brands such as Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Citroen, Peugeot, and Fiat.
According to the first half financial report of Stellantis, the group achieved a net revenue of 85 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 14%; Achieved a net profit of 5.6 billion euros, a year-on-year decrease of 48%.
The group stated that due to the slowdown in global car sales and intensified competition with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, it is expected that the company's operating profit margin will decline to 5.5% to 7% in 2024.
As the only ultra luxury brand under the Stellantis brand, Maserati's performance is also not satisfactory. In the first half of the year, Maserati's global shipments were only 6500 units, compared to 15300 units in the same period last year, a year-on-year decline of more than 50%.
In 2004, Maserati officially entered the Chinese market and introduced popular models such as Ghibli, Levante, Quattroporte, etc. Its peak was in 2017, when it set an annual sales record of 15000 units in the Chinese market, but sales continued to decline thereafter.
Faced with market changes, Maserati is actively seeking transformation, such as launching new models, adjusting pricing strategies, and even replacing executives. But from the current situation, the effect is not significant.
In fact, the decline in sales and the weakening of brand effects are not just problems faced by Maserati, a car company. According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, many ultra luxury brands such as Bentley, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, etc. have all experienced varying degrees of decline, but Maserati is facing a more severe problem.
More than one owner of a super luxury brand told reporters that in today's million dollar market, Maserati is almost never considered when buying a car. One reason is that the workmanship is rough and the product strength is weak, resulting in a significant gap in luxury compared to other brands in the same class. The second reason is the slow transformation and replacement. In the current fierce competition in the new energy vehicle market, Maserati has already lost its competitiveness in the fuel vehicle market. The most important thing is that the brand influence that Martha used to be proud of is gradually disappearing, and the former "sports car queen" has now become synonymous with WeChat influencers.
