Exclusive MCI Interview - March 30, 2000

Maserati’s Communications Manager talks about the company’s plans for Expanded Production, Return to the US Market, Racing, Monterey 2000, the New Engine, and yes, even Cup Holders, and more. . .

Modena, Italy
Thursday March 30, 2000

By Francis G. Mandarano, Former President of Maserati Club International

Antonio Ferreira de Almeida is Maserati's newest Manager of Communications, replacing Sig. Giovanni Perfetti who has returned to Ferrari. I met with Sig. Almeida in his upstairs office in the new administration building. Earlier in the day I was given a private tour of the assembly line by engineer Rod Loader, Director of Spare Parts.

Last year I had the pleasure of driving the 3200 GT on the Imola race track. This year I was given the use of one of the press cars to use in everyday traffic. At this point I must admit it is one thing to race around a track and quite another to drive and park in the tight streets of Modena. (Now I can fully appreciate those folding outside rearview mirrors.) Do I leave the car on the street overnight or put it in the hotel garage?

Fresh from these two experiences, I sat down with Sig. Almeida and we talked about Maserati. Following is a transcript of that interview. (Photo Album)

FGM: When I visited the assembly line I noticed very few Quattroporte IV's in production. What is the percentage of 3200 cars versus the Quattroporte?

A: Today, the 3200 is definitely our key model in Maserati -- it's the model that represents the rebirth of the brand, it is the model that redefines the look of the future. So today we can say that we are reproducing about 95% of 3200 Coupe GTs and about 5% of Quattroporte, and of course all the orders for the Quattroporte are specific and we are not producing without having a specific request.

Q: When will the Quattroporte be phased out?

A: We are planning to come up with the new Quattroporte in 2002. It's going to be a Pininfarina model, it's definitely going to be a very different looking car from what we have today. If you look to the two name plates you will see that one looks more like the past Maserati car and the 3200 is really the modern car, under the new management of the Maserati company after the Ferrari takeover. The new Quattroporte will have a very important role, and that important role will be to compete with the main limousines from our direct competitors like the Mercedes "S" class, Audi A8, etc. So it will be the top luxury car out of the Italian market that will compete with the German, English, etc.

Q: In recent years when I was visiting the assembly line I noticed that it perhaps wasn't going as smoothly or moving along as rapidly, but in my visit there last week I noticed that the assembly line seemed to be moving faster and the cars seemed to be going together better.

A: Yes, definitely. We have a brand new factory, we are a brand new company with a very old history, and when I say a brand new company and a brand new factory, I mean our factory was completely redone and restyled with the newest equipment and technologies three years ago. When Ferrari took over in June 1997, they closed the factory for six months with the goal of coming up with a very, very modern factory and a very modern production facility. The factory employees are perhaps working with a new sense of pride this may be the source of what you are perceiving.

Q: I noticed that the old service and parts department buildings have been demolished and that there are some plans to build a new structure. What will be in the new building on the corner?

A: Yes, there is a brand new investment plan that has just been approved one month ago in order to develop and, of course, create a bigger organization within the Maserati facility side. The objectives that we have today are very aggressive when we know that today we are producing 2,000 cars and that the objective is to grow to about 10,000 within five years. This, of course, obliges us to restructure and expand our facility in order to have a capacity that meet the demands of the future. We have a new building, which will house new administrative offices, parking lots for the new cars and more employees. This new facility should be ready within the next two years, with an investment of $10 million. At that point we will move into the new offices, establishing the new headquarters of Maserati S.p.A. here in Modena.

Q: Back to the 3200 GT, where was the car tested for hot climate conditions?

A: The car was tested in the Middle East in the desert, and the car was also tested in America.

Q: Where was the car tested for cold climate conditions?

A: We do our tests in Sweden.

Q: Do you plan to sell in North America?

A: Absolutely. North America will be our key market in the future, it will also be our most important market. As you know, we decided to pull out of the North American market -- not us in fact, but the Maserati company -- pulled out of the North American market because of all the quality problems and reliability problems that the car had in the old DeTomaso management of the company back in the 80's and the beginning of the 90's. There were a lot of quality problems with the old cars and they decided to pull out of the market. I think it was a good decision because the North American market is a very demanding market that demands quality and enormous reliability, 100% reliability, things that Maserati was not able to offer ten years ago. Ten years have passed and we are back into the business. We have a very good product; we have committed ourselves to a maximum goal of 100% reliability, 100% quality, etc., that was really the main objective of the new Ferrari management here at Maserati. Today we have a product that is absolutely reliable and that we trust suits the North American market requirements. So we feel that we are ready now after this ten years' time period has passed, from a legal stand point, to come back to the North American market. We have a clean sheet and we will come to America next year, 2001.

Q: What are some of the difficulties in preparing the car for the North American market?

A: You know the legislation and the requirements of the North American market are very, very strong and are the most demanding in the world, specifically the ones in California in terms of emission control, etc. We are adapting and preparing the car to pass all those emission control tests and requirements out of the most demanding states, and we are coming up to a stage where we are ready. We have a very, very powerful engine, we have a turbo engine, and that made us really put a lot of work into adapting this car to make it the best for these regulation tests that are required in America. So, there was some work [involved] in order to adapt the car to the North American market.

Q: As you have probably heard, Americans are crazy for cup holders. Will the U.S. car have cup holders?

A: That's a good question. I'm not sure I can answer that now, but I wouldn't say no because I really don't know. It's something that we will have to see. I would say, why not? Or, why would we do it? So, it's one or the other, but I don’t think it would be a problem to have cup holders if the market requires them. At the same time, I don't understand how a North American driver could be holding a cup of coffee while driving an almost 400 horsepower beast on the road! Anyway, I cannot answer this question now.

Q: Can you tell us if there will be a different engine for the USA car?

A: No, there will not be a different engine for the USA market today. One of the strongest points of our car is in fact the engine. The engine has been proven to be very, very strong in Europe and in all other markets where we are present, and I would say that the engine is one of the things that gives more pleasure to the driver. If you look today to our competitors, at the top of the ranks, either with Porsche or with Jaguar or with whoever, there is a turbo version. We have that turbo version already directly out of our line and why should we give it away? So I would say that we will come to America with our current engine.

Q: There has been a lot of talk about using the Ferrari V8 engine in both Maserati and Ferrari for the sake of economy of scale. Can you confirm or deny that you are preparing a Ferrari engine for a Maserati?

A: Today we are a dynamic company. We are a company that looks into the future very seriously. We are a company that looks to the most advanced technology solutions for our cars. Of course, there are developments en route about new engine solutions, but I wouldn't put it that way. It's not going to be the same engine as Ferrari and Maserati. We are two different companies, the engine being the heart of such a car. I wouldn't say that today we are working on a Ferrari Maserati common engine.

Q: Can you talk about Monterey 2000?

A: Monterey 2000 will be a very important event for us. It is going to be the first official presence of Maserati since 1991 and it will mean the return to the U.S. with an historical brand like Maserati. We will be there, we are starting to organize the events, and we will put forth the biggest commitment in order to make it a successful event with a very important and successful presence from the Maserati side.

Q: Here in this administrative building, I've noticed a lot of historic photos of traditional Maseratis. Do you have a favorite Maserati GT car?

A: I think the car that really means more to us at Maserati, looking back in time, would be the 3500 GT because it is really the predecessor of our 3200 GT and also because it was a car that meant a lot for the company when it was launched, since it was the car that saved Maserati from bankruptcy some years ago. And the same has been happening, so the 3200 meant a new era in the Maserati company and Maserati's future. So, I think the 3500 GT would be our favorite if we want to look back.

Q: And which car is your personal favorite?

A: I would say it is also the 3500 GT, but the Spyder version. I think it is a beautiful car, very good looking, it's a car that is 40 years old and yet it looks actual today. It is a car that is very good looking for the year 2000.

Q: When Maserati returns to North America, how will the current owners of the Maserati historic cars be received?

A: The current Maserati owners are part of the family and they represent a lot for the company. We will definitely be happy to be in touch with all of the big Maserati family, and we will welcome all of these friends to come and see what Maserati is and what Maserati will be, today and tomorrow, with the new models. We will be very happy to have all the traditional Maserati owners see what we are doing today.

Q: How many dealers do you expect to have in the U.S.?

A: Our objective will be to have about 50 Maserati dealers; an average of one dealer per state as a minimum, so we are looking at about 50 dealers in total.

Q: What would you like to say to owners of historic Maseratis?

A: I think with the new era of Maserati, it is not easy for them to see such an historical brand that everybody knows was the big competitor of Ferrari, today belonging to Ferrari; it might be quite a shock for some people. But I think it should be seen as a very positive fact, the fact that it is the only way for the company to survive and for the company to move forward on the right track. Maserati today is a new company, a company that wants to respect all the traditions of the Maserati history and the Maserati models. We are back, even though we are under the management of historically speaking our biggest competitor, we want to give back to Maserati what the Maserati tradition and image was in the past.

Q: Do you plan to race the 3200 GT in, for example, gentleman races?

A: Definitely. We know and we want to be back in the racing activity. It's very important for us, we know that it is something we have to do and that we want to do. We will announce that within the next year because we still don't know exactly what type of racing activity we will be coming into.

Q: What happened last weekend at Imola?

A: The Maserati Registro organized an event at the Imola racing circuit with all current Maserati owners of old, vintage cars, and of course they invited us, which is in step with the good relationship that we have with the current Maserati owners, to participate and come with the new 3200 car and experience with them a day on the track, on the circuit, driving the old Maseratis, and new Maseratis to make the new Maserati a known car, and invite potential customers to test the car. We had a very nice lunch, we spent a very nice day, the balance was very positive, and we definitely look forward to participating in more of these kinds of events.

Q: That's all I can think of right now. Thank you very much.

A: You're very welcome. Thank you very much. It has been a pleasure.

Go to the photo album