Richard Trevisan, Head of Maserati Canada Inc.
Maserati is driving full speed ahead attempting to snag a larger share of the luxury car market in Canada. Established last year, Maserati Canada Inc. is a direct subsidiary of its parent company in Italy created to build a bond with Canadian customers and dealers alike.
The tactic appears to be working. The brand is growing and setting new records in Canada at the end of 2015.
“We have seven dealers in Canada and last year we sold 507 units,” said Richard Trevisan, the newly appointed Head of Maserati Canada Inc. at the CIAS in Toronto.
“What’s making us grow is our Ghibli product line and also our Quattroporte. It’s bringing to the luxury segment something unique and we have to be market-driven so we offer intelligent all-wheel-drive, which is essential in Canada in that segment,” Trevisan added.
Trevisan said there is work to do in terms of increasing product awareness across the country.
“There is very strong brand awareness, but less product awareness. Ghibli, Quattroporte — we know those names very well, but the average consumer does not recognize those names. And another important thing is to educate the consumer about price. If you ask the average consumer what is the price of a Maserati? They’ll say it’s over $120,000, but we start with the Ghibli at $83,800.”
Trevisan has high hopes for Maserati Canada in 2016 including expanding the dealer network with models like Maserati Alfa Romeo of Oakville dealership in Oakville, Ont.
“Maserati and Alfa Romeo — it works very well. Being part of a large group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, you have to use the synergies. When two product brands like Maserati and Alfa Romeo — if you put them under the same roof, they complement each other. It’s two different types of consumers and then you’re creating traffic. When you’re a unique brand not mass-producing it’s very important to find synergies which are very important to the brands and keeping your heritage and uniqueness,” said Trevisan.
“We want to grow in 2016 … in the fall, we will launch our Maserati SUV, Levante, and that’s going to bring the volume up. The segment is competitive. But our dealers are fully focused on Maserati and they know our market place.”
