Editor's letter: How to get Maserati out of its rut

The demise of the middle market has been a trend of the automotive industry over the past decade, as volume brands have attempted to move mostly up (Ford, Peugeot, Volvo) and occasionally down (Citroën) in their positioning to ensure they stand for something more than just pumping out cars at volume – sharpening their styling and often simplifying model ranges in the process.

There remains another middle market in the industry. It’s between the premium players like BMW and Mercedes-Benz and luxury brands like Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari, and it includes car makers capable of making genuine supercars (or super-SUVs) as well as diesel family cars. 

Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati and Porsche are among those that can claim residence here, and their respective plights show just how hard it is to compete in this most unusual part of the market.

Go too low in your pricing and positioning and too high with your volume and you risk damaging your brand allure and harming prestige and profitability.