Maserati Levante Sales Are Low

SUVs are hot these days, unless your name is Maserati. The Italians are temporarily stopping production of the Levante, again, because not many people want it.

That’s disappointing, because the Levante was supposed to be Maserati’s cash cow. The company already shut down production for two weeks at the end of October and beginning of November. Automotive News uncovered another production shutdown that will last nine days is coming at the end of November and beginning of December.

This isn’t a good sign. Rumors have been flying around that FCA wants to sell Maserati and Alfa Romeo. When things like this happen, that becomes far more likely.

Of course, Maserati has a convenient explanation for the Levante slump: the Chinese are screwing everything up. That’s right, the Chinese government has changed import rules, and that’s supposedly diminished demand for the Italian SUV.

Maybe the upcoming Levante GTS — which packs a nice, big V-8 engine — will get sales churning? A smaller SUV is coming in 2020, but the real concern is that it will flounder as well. Considering the luck Maserati has experienced lately, these concerns are reasonable.