Legendary Italian performance car maker, Maserati, lifted its Australian sales by more than 33 per cent in 2006 to set a new all-time annual sales record for Maserati in Australia according to official figures released today (4 January 2007) by VFACTS. This is despite the car market as a whole declining and its chief rivals’ seeing their sales boosts limited to single figures.

“The increase in Maserati sales reflects the growing demand for true exclusiveness, as well as a growing recognition and awareness of the traditional Maserati benefits of style, performance and quality,” says Edward Butler, General Manager for Maserati in Australia and New Zealand. “Increasingly we are finding that car buyers at the top end of the market do not want to own a car that shares a badge with a van, a 4WD or a AUS$30,000 hatchback. They want a car that offers exclusivity and even with our growing sales, this will always be the case with a Maserati.”

Maserati further enhances its exclusivity by enabling its owners to tailor the trim and equipment of their Maserati to their exact personal requirements. The standard trim and equipment choice for the Maserati Quattroporte, for example, runs to as many as four million possible permutations. In 2007 there will be even greater choice with the arrival of a new version of Quattroporte that could become the dominant model in the range.

“While the DuoSelect gearbox has proven an ideal match for Maserati’s performance reputation in the Quattroporte, there has been, nevertheless, a demand for a full automatic option,” explains Mr Butler. “This will arrive in 2007 and, given the Australian and New Zealand market’s penchant for full automatic gearboxes, we expect the Quattroporte automatic to become the dominant version in the range and significantly lifting sales.”
 

The Maserati Quattroporte automatic will make its world debut at the Detroit International Motor Show this month (January 2007) and will arrive in Australia at the Melbourne International Motor Show in March. Australian and New Zealand sales will begin soon after, when local pricing and specifications will be announced.

Last year was the first full year for the new Australian and New Zealand importer, European Automotive Imports and a significant sales boost was just one of their commitments to Maserati when they took over in October 2005. “The past 12 months has seen a significant lift in the quality of Maserati’s representation in Australia and New Zealand,” says Mr Butler. “We have opened all-new Maserati dealerships in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In 2007 we will open a new Maserati dealership in Christchurch and up-grade the Maserati dealerships in Auckland, Adelaide and Perth. These improvements to our customer service will continue and expand in 2007,” says Mr Butler, “and, combined with the arrival of the Quattroporte automatic, we expect further growth for Maserati in both Australia and New Zealand during the coming year.”