Like most other boutique brands, Maserati has traditionally flown under the radar of industry analysts in Canada. Its sales are not included in the monthly reports filed by the Detroit Three and most mainstream foreign auto makers.
In Maserati's case, sales of its upscale coupes and sedans have long been handled out of the company's U.S. office. The cars for Canadian customers were even priced in U.S. dollars.
But Maserati has been moving to become part of the Canadian establishment. Last February, its parent company in Italy established Maserati Canada Inc. as a direct subsidiary, with an office in Mississauga, Ont. The cars are imported directly from Italy and paid for in Euros – a move that obviously has preserved affordability given the loonie's precipitous plunge against the greenback.
Part of the push to position Maserati in the mainstream involves offering financing and leasing. At the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto this week, the brand is offering a 39-month lease deal at 1.9 per cent. "We want to show that we are ready for your consideration," Maserati Canada president Richard Trevisan says, "and if you prefer to lease, there is no handicap versus other manufacturers."
Another motive for setting up Maserati Canada, Trevisan says: "We wanted to be closer to our dealers and to our customers." Perhaps surprisingly, he says Canadian customers tend to be more sophisticated than American ones and spec their cars with more options.
Part of that difference is all-wheel drive. For example, 98 per cent of customers for the Ghibli, Maserati's entry-level mid-size sedan, choose the more-powerful, and AWD, S Q4 model which is almost $9,000 more expensive than the base RWD Ghibli.
But Canadians are also more likely than Americans to choose options such as Sport packages or the Ermenegildo Zegna designer interior. Typical customers, says Trevisan, are established entrepreneurs looking for something different.
Although Maserati is a sister brand of Ferrari within the Fiat family, its products and pricing align more closely with mainstream luxury brands, starting at $83,800 for the Ghibli, $121,400 for the full-size Quattroporte sedan and $152,600 for the Gran Turismo two-door sports coupes and convertibles.
And the Canadian arm expects to move further into the establishment when its first luxury SUV, the Levante, arrives this fall. That should further boost sales numbers that are already moving in the right direction: Trevisan says Maserati sold 507 cars in Canada last year, up 8 per cent from 2014.
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