Maserati Levante to Be Built in Italy, Not Detroit
Maserati’s upscale Levante SUV was slated to be built in the good ol’ US of A at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant in Detroit, but that plan has since changed.
The luxury utility vehicle’s home will now be the company’s Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy. We wonder if Motown’s municipal bankruptcy had something to do with this about face.
Lay-offs for some 5,300 workers at the Mirafiori facility will be extended as they retool to build the Levante. Fiat is investing just about 1 billion Euros in the plant to make production possible.
With the goal of rehiring all of its laid-off Italian workers by 2016, Fiat is adding production to underutilized factories in its home country, including Mirafiori, which is its oldest and largest facility.
This is a loss for Detroit and the American auto industry but an important win for workers in Italy.
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Source: Automotive News
Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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