How would you feel if you learned that the Ferrari-designed V6 engine mounted on your Maserati was built by Chrysler in one of its Detroit plants? Not so good, I assume.
Well, the truth is, workers at Chrysler Group’s Trenton Engine Complex in suburban Detroit have been machining aluminum 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine blocks starting this summer under the supervision of Ferrari engineers.
The blocks, which are cast in Chrysler’s foundry in Kokomo, Indiana, are then being shipped to Ferrari’s plant in Maranello, Italy, where they are finished and given the final inspection before installation into Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli sedans. The decision was taken because European supplier Weber Automotive GmbH couldn’t cope with increasing demand for the engine.
It’s the first time that Chrysler has had a contribution in producing engines for Fiat’s luxury brands. Chrysler is currently machining about 50 engine blocks per day for Maserati and will soon expand that to 80.
“It’s been a real opportunity for us to learn what it means to work on high-performance engines,” Brian Harlow, global head of powertrain manufacturing engineering for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles told Automotive News. “The level of quality is just supreme. We’re going to benefit on our standard engines just because we’re working on this smaller engine on a higher level.”
However, the executive wanted to reassure customers there’s no difference in quality from European-built engines.
“It’s a sensitive thing. We’re Chrysler; they’re Ferrari and Maserati. In no way do we want to impact in any negative way the image of either of those. We wanted to make sure we were getting it right, and we did. There’s only one standard which we go by, and that’s the Ferrari standard. They do not compromise,” Harlow said.
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