Yep, the haters are back.......
OK, let’s deal with a couple of factual points first.
I have never said I hate any cars of the current Maserati range, and neither have I ever said the current range offers bad cars, on the contrary, in terms of style and build quality I’ve been very complimentary about most of them. It’s not the cars’ competence I’m questioning, but their raison d’ȇtre.
A long time ago on another thread I did say, with reference to the diesels, that if I wanted a BMW I’d buy a BMW. The reality though is that diesel days may soon be on the decline anyway, and for my money a diesel doesn’t easily fit the original Maserati profile no matter how good it is.
No Maf I’ve not driven any of the current range, but have not been encouraged to do so either. I first saw the pre-launch Ghibli and QP at Goodwood, left my details, and never heard another thing. Some time ago I toyed with the idea of running a business Ghibli and paid Dick Lovett’s a visit. The receptionist said she’d see if she could find someone to talk to me about it, and eventually I was approached by a sales guy who’d probably sized me up by the X-Type outside and decided I wasn’t worth the effort. A request for a brochure was met with ‘”I’m not sure that we have any”. I pressed and he eventually found one, telling me that I should get in touch if interested! I didn’t expect a red carpet, or a fanfare of trumpets, but the point is that he didn’t know my status or potential as a customer, though I did tell him that I had a 4200 (perhaps that was the killer).
Just a few yards away is DL’s Porsche showroom, and the experience when I visited that with my grandson a little later was a revelation. Without being pushy, a couple of sales folk asked if I was interested in any particular model, and I explained that I was only browsing. “No problem sir, if a car takes your fancy just let us know and we’ll line it up for you if you’d like a test drive”. I declined the offer, but as we were leaving my grandson was given a goodie bag and posters and it was a case of “Just let us know if you change your mind sir, we’ll be pleased to help”. Same company, same site, totally different attitude.
Now for reasons I won’t bore you with I probably know more about the Lovett group than most on here; I’ve watched them grow from a tiny outfit in the sixties to the multi-franchise operation they have now, and that growth didn’t happen by accident. But judging by my experience why would anyone bother with Maserati when the competition (including DL’s own BMW franchise) will welcome buyers with open arms, and Grange Jaguar of Swindon are all over me like a rash if I visit their showroom. Make no mistake, Jaguar do have a very impressive line-up, though I’m not keen on their labour rates at £125/hr +VAT.
Maserati has a cracking pedigree and could so easily capitalise on their heritage to promote
and make the Alfieri and other sports cars, but they’ve chosen to go up against established competitors in a very tough market, presumably because soulless accountants dictated a strategy that’s not exactly sparkled.
A few months ago an American automotive analyst said "Maserati has a name that's very niche, and it sells in a market segment that's not deep anyway. That gets you an initial boost, and then after that the cliff is really steep." Since then production has been cut…..
Being an old git I’ve watched Maserati for a few decades, and the most impressive event was the introduction of the 3200gt which revived the company’s fortunes, ultimately leading to the well-received QPV, GT, and GC. Then some clown thought ‘let’s go head to head with established players in the volume market’, oh and ‘forget the Alfieri for now as we’ve got SUV’s to think about’. If you’re going to do that you might at least ensure you have a robust sales network and deliver the product and service you promise in the volumes you aim for.
I’d love to see the marque truly flourish, I really would, but some time ago I said that Maserati doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be and I see nothing to change that view.
Think about this Maf: Let’s say that you can only keep one of your Maseratis, will it be the Ghibli?
PH
