Maserati has been around since 1914 and over the years has changed ownership several times, being owned by the likes of Citroën, Fiat and even joining with arch rival Ferrari [NYSE:RACE].
Back in 2005, due to the rulings of an agreement between Fiat and General Motors Company [NYSE:GM], Maserati was separated from Ferrari and brought back under Fiat's full control.
Today, the carmaker is sitting on more solid ground thanks to the recent success of cars such as the Quattroporte. For the first eight months of 2006, Maserati has beaten 2005’s record number of sales mainly due to the GranTurismo, GranSport and stunning Quattroporte. The Quattroporte is one of our favorite cars, and despite the lack of technology compared to some of the big German sedans the big Maser simply exudes character.
The Giorgetto Giugiaro designed GranSport alone has more than doubled its sales figures, reaching a United Sates sales record for August. Maserati has expanded significantly over the last decade, making sales in 58 markets with 259 dealers across the globe. The next challenge is to continue this winning success in newly found markets such as China and Russia. However, at the end of the day, we Yanks account for 44 percent of the Italian’s total sales.
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