Another day, another flip-flop on future product plans over at Casa di Marchionne. The latest news comes from Italian unions, who claim that the Maserati Levante will be built at the Mirafiori plant in Italy, rather than at Jeep’s plant in Detroit.
Fiat will invest $1 billion in the plant and add upscale models from Maserati and Alfa Romeo in exchange for concessions from labor unions such as temporary layoffs. The plant will also undergo a lengthy re-tooling. The shift to Italian production for the Levante isn’t exactly news, but it is a great symbol of how quickly Chrysler-Fiat has been able to turn on a dime when adjusting their rhetoric.
The Detroit production of the Levante was supposed to be symbolic of the union of the two companies and the capability of American manufacturing. But a stumbling car market, overcapacity and an angry workforce in Europe changed that calculus, and suddenly, Marchionne found himself in the position of having to throw a bone to Fiat workers. Moving the Levante to Italy is a rather low stakes move on our shores, but one that will pay dividends back in Italy.
Not surprising. With the demand for Grand Cherokees and Durangos what it is, why add capaticy and complexity to Jefferson North when there are under-utilized facilities elsewhere?
I am happy that it will be made in Italy.This is a Maserati,and this is where it should be made.I will definately trade my Range Rover Sports when they arrive next year.Thanks Sergio .
I am happy that it will be made in Italy.This is a Maserati,and this is where it should be made.I will definately trade my Range Rover Sports when they arrive next year.Thanks Sergio
Makes Italy happy and will make Durango fans happy. With the coming Grand Wagoneer adding a third car, the Durango gets reprieve with Levante moving to Italy because JANP plant can only make 3 different cars. 6200 Durangos and 18,000 Grand Cherokees sold last month is incredible.
Maybe Maseratis should only be made in Italy
Durango is dead anyway.
At least until Marchionne revises the product plan again next month.
They finally decided the Kubang was a bad name?
That Cherokee got Kubanged in the Dakota while Wrangling his Durango to Aspen.
I want to see a road test comparison between this and a Model X.
Why did I immediately thnk “Nissan!” when I first saw the picture?
Funny, I first thought, “pretty as a Crosstour”. ;-)
It kind of looks like a Mazda to me. Yay new CX9!
Yes, it does look like a Murano. Why buy this at $80K? Ferrari engine? Italian assembly? Still think it will sell well in the US.
Did anyone really believe that they were going to give up Grand Cherokee capacity? Sergio playing the unions like fiddles.
Well, in Italy, he has to, but making billion dollar investment promises for temporary layoffs doesn’t sound like a virtuoso performance.
Again, did anyone think they were going to build this thing in Detroit or for that matter, any Alfa or Maser? The plant was going to get upgraded despite any allusions otherwise from Sergio. You’re acting like the unions forced him to upgrade the plant.
Italy won’t exactly let him easily close that vastly under-used plant, so it only makes sense that they build something there other than the MiTo for a few days a month.
If there weren’t the political pressure, I suspect that plant would have been long closed.
It makes sense to try to increase output from underperforming factories in Europe. I am surprised that Fiat hasn’t released plans for building Chrysler/Jeep products in Europe for export to the USA and Canada.
Actually, it doesn’t make sense, financially. American workers work cheaper and don’t go on strike at the drop of a hat, and there are fewer outside pressures (read: political) than in Europe, especially Italy. As bad as the UAW has been with work rules, the Europeans have developed it into an evil science. Did you know Franz Kafka was European? The EU bureaucrats think his stories are instruction manuals!