Maserati is working on expanding their dealership network in North America as they prepare for the launch of their first SUV in their history, the Levante.
The dealers are expected to grow from 116 to 130 by the end of the year, with most of the new points to be combined Maserati-Alfa Romeo facilities, Maserati’s head Harald Wester told AutoNews last week at the Geneva Motor Show.
“Where we were not able to cover all the attractive locations, and there was an opportunity for a combination Alfa Romeo-Maserati [dealership], we went for this,” Wester said.
Maserati US boss Christian Gobber said that by the end of the year there will be about 20 Maserati-Alfa Romeo dealerships in North America.
Maserati sold 12,000 cars in North America last year, with Wester expecting that number to climb up to 20,000 units after the Levante arrives in the second half of the year.
Production of North-American versions of the Levante is expected to begin in Italy on July 1.
Wester also confessed that the trend away from cars and toward SUVs combined with a cooling Chinese economy had a negative impact on Maserati, but now with the Levante, the company expects to shift things around.
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