Fiat Auto announced today it will use some of GM's f-you money to buy the Maserati sportscar brand from Ferrari, in which Fiat owns a majority stake. Rumors of the sale had been circulating for days, but the recent dissolution of Fiat's $2 billion affair with General Motors likely put it (ahem) on a fast track. The sale also paves the way for an impending Ferrari stock sale, a move reportedly put on hold by Maserati's poor financial performance. Fiat Auto, which also owns the Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands, as well as a 56% stake in Ferrari, will likely share its newly acquired Maserati technologies with Alfa Romeo — which, many are speculating, is slated for a 2007 return to the US, a market in which Maserati sells roughly one-third of its cars. Yes, please.
Fiat to Buy Maserati Brand From Ferrari [Yahoo!]
Related:
Loose Talk: Ferrari to Spin Maserati Back to Fiat? [internal]