Deep crisis the well-known Italian car manufacturer Maserati is passing through, with Italian unions calling for an urgent change of course.

The Italian press highlights that yesterday a Japanese company, which supplies Maserati with technological equipment near Turin, started the procedures, which are expected to lead to the dismissal of fifty-two workers. The reason for this decision is the lack of orders from the once powerful Italian luxury car company. Meanwhile, at the historic Mirafiori factory, Maserati production has been halted, again until January, due to a lack of orders.

According to the Italian media, during the periods of operation of the Mirafiori facilities, which are dedicated to this well-known brand, the production does not exceed ten cars per day. The forecasts so far, for the next year, cannot be characterized as optimistic.

“At times like this, it’s important to stick together. So I decided to visit Maserati’s historic headquarters in Modena,” said John Elkann, president of Stelladis Group, which also owns Fiat, at the end of last week. Elkan “thanked the employees for their passion and the effort they put in” and promised that there will be an upgrade and support of the company. In Modena, however, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, in the first nine months of 2024, two hundred and twenty vehicles of this company were produced. Last year, the corresponding number was nine hundred and ten.

Sales of Maserati cars, in the third quarter of 2024, marked a decrease of 60%, compared to the same period in 2023. And the drop in sales, on an annual basis, is 58%. “Investment, an industrial strategy and prospects for the future are missing,” said the secretary of the Fiume union in the Emilia-Romagna region, Giovanni Cotunio.

According to analysts, one of the causes of this impressive decline is the marketing strategy adopted by the particular house, which preferred to give a lot of weight to “offers”, with a reduction in prices and the hope of supporting its sales. These offers were also addressed, by letters, to workers of the Stelladis group, several of whom are, for a long time, in an availability status.