“Maserati has an exotic uniqueness about it,” he says David Grassoglobal general manager Maserati. “It is not for everybody. But those that prefer it? They really, really prefer it.”
Grasso, former CMO of Nike, is the chief mechanic behind the recent makeover of the long-lasting Italian automobile company. “In 2019, there was a discrepancy between the shopper’s memory of this venerable brand and the standard of the product. You can say it was uneven.”
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And so the Grasso team went to work, he says, with a laser concentrate on quality. “We made no compromises – we desired to put the brand back where it belongs, which is luxury.” To perform this task, they went back to their roots while taking a giant step forward with the launch of Maserati’s first all-electric vehicle, the GranTurismo Folgore.
Automotive Gran Turismo Folgore it should reach 60 mph in 2.7 seconds (for those who don’t follow this sort of thing, just comprehend it’s really fast) and its three electric motors mix to provide 818 horsepower (again, that is quite a bit).
Entrepreneur spoke to Grasso via Zoom to find out about his approach to performing the fragile balancing act of tweaking the brand’s engine with groundbreaking innovations while preserving what people have come to like.
It is not about heritage
“This legendary brand has an incredible history of bringing innovation, luxury and performance to the automotive world for the last nearly 110 years around the globe. That is why we have at all times focused on this: it isn’t about heritage, it’s about delivering luxury mobility and efficiency mobility for our customers around the globe Electrification has been embraced within the western world and China, so it was a natural selection for us to switch the state-of-the-art internal combustion engine with a state-of-the-art electric motor. Constant is top performance.
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Form follows function
“While Maserati style and elegance are unmistakable, form at all times follows function. There may be a functional element in all designs, similar to the long nose of the automobile, which allows the interior combustion engine to take a seat on the front axle, lowering the middle of gravity. Design and functionality are the epitome of Italian luxury. Consider Italian cities. The square could be very beautiful and serves a straightforward purpose. It’s about connecting people in a natural way.”
Subtle differences in the worldwide market
“Everywhere in the world, Maserati customers want performance and luxury, but there are very subtle nuances to what people from different cultures value most. For instance, in China, the ergonomics of the rear seats are very visible. In North America, customers really take into consideration torque and horsepower. In Europe, interior trim could be very vital to drivers. All the pieces is vital to everyone, these are the nuances I’m talking about. But we do notchange nothing – we’ve one product line for the entire world.”
Customer support while maintaining the brand
“I’ve worked at Nike for 25 years and I’ve learned that you must know your core customer. At Nike, it was athletes. At Maserati, it’s the trendy luxury consumer. You’ve to know that a brand cannot be every thing to everyone. You’ve to actually take into consideration what really adds to someone’s experience. For our clients, time is a currency. That is why we simplify the method as much as possible. Because of this we don’t offer entry-level and mid-level Maseratis. This only adds to the complexity. We put our energy into offering more personalized versions of our vehicles, not smaller versions that dilute the experience.
Davide Grasso, Maserati Global CEO, Photo: Maserati