Fiat Five Year Plan: More Profit From Ferrari, Cheaper Maseratis

Given Ferrari’s pricing politics, it seems safe to assume that Ferrari/Maserati is a fairly profitable enterprise for its 85 percent owner, Fiat. Indeed, with over $2.5b in combined revenues last year and an 11.5 percent operating margin, the Italian sportscar brands aren’t exactly dying of economic downturn-related causes. But at today’s presentation of Fiat’s five year plan, CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that his firm has big plans for Ferrari/Maserati, and gave unprecedented planning details as proof of the brands’ path towards even greater profitability.

Though Ferrari and Maserati have been able to share components without succumbing to significant brand overlap, Fiat is set on driving the sister firms further apart in terms of strategy. Maserati will move downmarket, according to reporting of Fiat’s presentation by Automotive News [sub], adding two new models priced between $73,600 and $93,700 over the next five years. One of these models is an E-segment sedan, aimed at BMW’s 5 Series GT. Is this the LX-platformed Maser we’ve been hearing rumors about? Meanwhile, Maserati will also replace its Quattroporte flagship sedan by 2014, with a pricing target reportedly aimed lower than the current model’s $120k sticker.

And while Maserati moves towards making premium Italian motoring more accessible, Ferrari will be putting the screws on prestige addicts in order to boost group profits. In hopes of “stable volumes,” Marchionne even gave details of Ferrari’s future product plan, a new move in the normally-secretive Fezza playbook. Automotive News [sub] breaks down the plans:

• A replacement for the 612 Scaglietti coupe and a spider variant of the 458 two-seat coupe, both coming in 2011.

• A successor to the 599 GTB and a limited edition supercar to replace the Enzo, both coming in 2012.

• A face-lifted California spider in 2013.