Maserati Levante SUV to Be Made in Italy Instead of Detroit
The upcoming Maserati Levante SUV will not be produced in Detroit as previously announced. Instead one of Fiat’s plants in Turin, Italy will be making the new luxury SUV.
It’s been a little over a year since Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the upcoming Maserati SUV will be built in Detroit, but plans have changed and Automotive News says the new vehicle will be made in Fiat’s underutilized Mirafiori plant in Turin.
The Maserati Levante will utilize the same underpinnings as the new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and is poised to take on luxury SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne. Expect it to debut this year. The Levante is also expected to look very similar to the Maserati Kubang SUV concept (seen above) that the Italian company has shown off in past autoshows.
SEE ALSO: Fiat Product Line to Expand in US Significantly by 2016
Automotive News says that Fiat plans to use its idled Italian factories to produce Jeeps, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos for export, as it relies increasingly on overseas sales to offset flagging demand in recession-hit Italy.
Marchionne announced that despite the Mirafiori plant operating just a few days a month, that he has no plans to close the plant down.
“I’ve made a commitment. We are not closing Mirafiori,” He said on Sunday during a public interview in Turin. “We will make luxury cars for both Maserati and for Alfa Romeo.”
The plant is also expected to make the first Alfa Romeo badged SUV, which is expected in 2015.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Sami has an unquenchable thirst for car knowledge and has been at AutoGuide for the past six years. He has a degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and has won multiple journalism awards from the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada. Sami is also on the jury for the World Car Awards.
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