“Maserati has a strange uniqueness,” says David GrassoGlobal CEO of Maserati. “It’s not for everybody. But those who like it? They really, really like it.”
Grasso, the former CMO of Nike, is the main mechanic behind the iconic Italian car company’s recent rebuild. “In 2019, there was a disconnect between consumer memory of this venerable brand and product quality. It was uneven, so to speak.”
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And so Grasso’s team went to work, he says, with a laser focus on quality. “We didn’t compromise – we wanted to bring the brand back to where it belongs, which is luxury.” To accomplish this task they returned to their roots and took a giant leap forward by launching Maserati’s first fully-electric vehicle, the GranTurismo Folgore.
car GranTurismo Folgore will hit 60 mph in 2.7 seconds (if you don’t keep track of that sort of thing, just know that it’s really fast) and its three electric motors combine to make 818 horsepower (again, that’s a lot .)
Entrepreneur spoke to Grasso via Zoom to learn his approach to the delicate balancing act of revving the brand’s engine with transformative innovations while preserving what people love in the first place.
It is not about inheritance
“This legendary brand has an incredible history of bringing innovation and luxury and performance to the world of automotive globally for nearly 110 years. So for us, the focus has always been: It’s not about heritage, it’s about delivering luxury. For our global customers Mobility and operational dynamics. Electrification has been adopted in the Western world and in China, so it was a natural choice for us to replace the sophisticated combustion engine with a sophisticated electric. motor. Constant is top performance.”
Form follows function
“While Maserati’s style and elegance are unmistakable, form always follows function. All designs have a functional element, such as the car’s long nose that allows the combustion engine to sit on the front axle, down-center. Gravity. Design and function epitomize Italian luxury. is. Think of Italian cities. The piazzas are beautiful and serve a simple purpose. It’s about bringing people together in a natural way.”
Subtle differences in the global market
“Globally, Maserati customers want performance excellence and luxury, but there are very subtle nuances of what people in different cultures value most. For example, in China, the ergonomics of the backseat are very prominent. In North America, customers really think about it. is. Torque and power. In Europe, the interior finish is very important to drivers. It’s important to everyone, this is the noise I’m talking about. But we’re not.Don’t change anything – we have a product line for the whole world.”
Serving customers while maintaining the brand
“I was with Nike for 25 years and one of the things I learned is that you have to know your core customer. At Nike, it was the athletes. At Maserati, it’s the modern luxury customer. And you have to understand that a brand does that. can’t. Be everything to everyone. You have to really think about what’s adding to someone’s experience. For our customers, time is currency. So we make the process as easy as possible. That means we’re entry-level and mid-range. -level are not offering.-level Maseratis. It just adds to the complexity. We put our energy into offering highly customized versions of our vehicles, not lesser versions that dilute the experience.”
David Grasso, Global CEO of Maserati, Photo Credit: Maserati