Cantiere del Pardo is building a new factory. The Italian group behind Pardo Yachts, Grand Soleil and VanDutch used the Cannes Yachting Festival on 9 September to announce a new plant in Forlì that, by the company's own account, adds 35,000 square metres of production space: the first part of it opens by the end of 2026, the rest during 2027. At the same show in Cannes, Cantiere del Pardo presented three world premieres and announced a contract with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli for a third America's Cup cycle. The owner since October 2023 is Oniverse, the Veronesi family holding company formerly called Calzedonia, with 88 percent.
What the release says about Forlì
The floor area, the phasing and the second site come from the shipyard. No euro figure, headcount or contractor appears in any public source, and the press office does not name them. Chief executive Marcello Veronesi told MilanoFinanza on 29 August 2025 that the company had bought land in Forlì for a production building and an office block.
The group also plans a Launching and Welcome Centre at Marina di Ravenna for spring 2027, here boats will go into the water straight from the site, and owners, prospective and current, will come for viewings and sea trials. Its size and cost are unstated too. Forlì stays the manufacturing centre for all three brands.
Capacity going up while the market goes down
Confindustria Nautica and Deloitte put the global new-build market at roughly €33.3 billion in 2025 and shrinking, while Italian yards gained share.
| Measure | Reading |
|---|---|
| Global new-build market, 2025 | about €33.3 billion |
| Global market, change over 2023–25 | −2.1% |
| Italian shipbuilding, CAGR 2023–25 | +5% |
| Global forecast for 2026 | −0.7% |
| Superyacht orders worldwide, 2026 order book (BOAT International) | 1,093, down from 1,138 |
| Italy's share of global new orders (BOAT International) | 52% |
Veronesi told MilanoFinanza the same a year ago: leisure boating is going through a readjustment and some contraction. In the Cannes release he points at the owner instead. "Our approach is simple: we keep investing today so that we are ready to grow tomorrow," he said. "Since Oniverse Group became the owner of Cantiere del Pardo, we have maintained a clear long-term vision, committing significant resources to our facilities, our products and our people."
The three boats in Cannes
The one shown in public for the first time was the Pardo GT65 is the third model in the GT crossover range: 20.14 metres, twin Volvo Penta D13 IPS 1350, 35 knots flat out and an estimated 25 to 26 cruising, three cabins plus a crew cabin. It was unveiled in March 2024 with delivery expected in summer 2025, and turned up a year late.
The Grand Soleil 60 Long Cruise was in Cannes too, as hull one. The concept was shown at Düsseldorf in January 2024 and the build ran to February 2026.
Last year Cannes saw the Grand Soleil Plus 80 Performance; this year brought a new, different version. It is the first completed Grand Soleil Plus 80 Long Cruise, hull one, Bianca II, launched in March 2026: 26.20 metres overall, built in-house from lamination through to launch, telescopic keel for variable draft. A little more on this yacht and the other premieres is in our piece on the Cannes show.
Luna Rossa, third cycle running
Cantiere del Pardo has supplied Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli since the 36th America's Cup in Auckland. For the 38th, in Naples, with the match starting on 10 July 2027, the release says the yard moves up from Official Supplier to Official Partner. The agreement covers boats from all three brands. The America's Cup in Naples is already contested: INEOS suing Ben Ainslie's team over the Britannia hull.
The first premises of the new Forlì plant are due to open as early as the end of this year.
Photo: Giovanni Mitolo, Grand Soleil Cup 2026 (Cantiere del Pardo press kit). Source: Cantiere del Pardo press office (Sand People Communication) release, 09.09.2026; MilanoFinanza, 29.08.2025; Confindustria Nautica / Deloitte via ANSA; BOAT International Global Order Book 2026; americascup.com.
