Maserati Is What Happens When You Ignore Your CAR Brands

 

My dream is always to have more car brands in the United States, so I was excited when the merger of Fiat and Chrysler brought us a bevy of Italian badges not seen since people were bumpin’ Scatman John from the speakers in their 164L. In retrospect, I’m not sure it made the brands any better.

The Morning Dump today is devoted to brands and what happens when you don’t pay attention to them. Brands are not your friends, but neither is beloved character actress Margo Martindale, and I kinda care what happens to her. Up first is Maserati, which has a gorgeous new ad campaign out that’s just a sad reminder of how ignored the brand has become.

Nissan created an EV brand with the Leaf, only to watch Tesla suck up all the oxygen in the room. The Leaf is turning over a… new chapter, but production issues are apparently already hampering its return. Ford’s brand has survived numerous downturns, but now it’s losing one of its most recognizable buildings.

And it wouldn’t be a Morning Dump without celebrating a specific beloved (by me) brand, which celebrates 100 years of being a merged carmaker.