In a rare exclusive interview with Autocar, Maserati CEO Davide Grasso has outlined how the firm has completed a rapid and wide-reaching turnaround programme – going from heavy losses to profitability in less than four years.
Appointed as Maserati CEO in July 2019 and made a Stellantis board member in January 2021, Grasso is responsible for leading Maserati through one of its most transformative eras on record, first launching the MC20 mid-engined super-sports car and since following it up with the new Grecale SUV (pictured below) and Granturismo sports coupé. Prior to joining the Italian firm, he served as CEO of clothing brand Converse, before becoming chief marketing officer of its parent company, Nike.
Speaking as the firm ramps up to its “year of electrification” in 2023, with no fewer than three pure-EVs due in its dealerships, Grasso was hugely optimistic about Maserati’s outlook as part of the 14-brand Stellantis empire, forecasting huge increases in profit margins and a radical shift in brand perception.
“It’s a banal quote,” he said, “but it’s nice to say: Maserati is back to the future.”
Grasso refused to be drawn on specific volume forecasts, suggesting such predictions clash with his company’s luxury aspirations: “We have banned, internally and externally, the notion of volume, simply because it orients the company and the brand on something which is very internally driven and very manufacturing-capacity driven. If you go down that path as a luxury brand, then you can incur some fatal mistakes.”
He acknowledged that Maserati “has to plan manufacturing capabilities” but was more vocal about plans for a substantial increase in profit per car to establish the brand as an industry benchmark for profitability.
“Our margins our expanding, and will keep expanding. Our goal is to have benchmark margins in the industry. In our view, there is no reason Maserati should be second to anyone in the industry, in terms of margin.