Empire Motor Sport Co. Ltd. is the exclusive authorised importer for Thailand and for the last two years the company has been busy working to reestablish the Trident name in this market where the most prestigious European brands are held in the highest regard; last year the importer launched the GranTurismo, and the arrival this week of the GranCabrio, which received its world première at the Frankfurt IAA last autumn, another plank is added to its Thai market push. With huge import duties here the GranCabrio though will cost a cool 17.5 million baht, pricing it beyond the means of most.

The launch party, dubbed The Power of Beauty, took place at the residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to Thailand, Mr. Michelangelo Pipan, located in the up market commercial Silom district of the city. The GranCabrio was laid out on the driveway in front of the flowing steps to the Ambassador's house, lurking beneath a silver-gray cover, flanked on either side by an example of each of its sisters, the GranTurismo and Quattroporte. The styling elements of the house inside and out showed off typical Italian thinking, attractive but with carefully planned taste and discretion, a house for the more discerning fashionista, attributes that the Maserati brand also aims to project. Inside the house acres of dark polished wood contrasted with light walls; it was thoughtfully furnished and not over-cluttered, unlike many ambassadorial residences, lending it an airy feel of being more spacious than it was.

The glitzy proceedings were hosted by popular actress and model Claudia Jakkapan who introduced the evening's guest of honour, the Italian Ambassador Michelangelo Pipan, on the residence's curving marble steps, and he was keen to emphasise that when it comes to designing ultimate automobiles, his country is unmatched.

Also presiding over the launch was Dr. Suphachai Phisitvanich a former government minister and one of the city's leading businessmen. Following the Ambassador's words it is time to introduce the GranCabrio and to the accompaniment of music and lights, and with the threatening rain fortunately keeping away, the covers were whisked off to reveal the convertible, finished in "Bianco Eldorado" (white) with a rich burgundy hood folded snugly in place.

The engineers in Modena strived to make this a genuine four-seater and the hood has been stretched backwards before tucking away to allow for decent headroom and the result is a quite large-sized rear quarterlight window. A soft-top always looks better with the roof down but the GranCabrio makes a pretty good stab at looking stylish when the canvas top is up. The roof section actually weights just 65 kgs and is stretched across five steel/alloy poles while the roof can be opened by the driver through an extra flick of the door key meaning that the removable section can be stowed away (and any built up internal heat dissipated) before entering the cabin. The roof can also be raised at a maximum speed of 18 mph which ensures the driver doesn't have to pull over if an unexpected shower suddenly looms into view. Pininfarina's stylists have done a good job in turning the GranTurismo into a convertible and working round the problem of stowing away a large roof section without harsh interrupting the flowing lines of the car. The GranCabrio retains all of the coupés nose from the A-pillars forward and at the rear employs the same distinctive tail lights that boast no less than 96 LED lights.

The Trident's new convertible which packs its luxury pretentions with high performance motoring thanks to its 4,691cc 90-degree V8 engine which has maximum power of 440 CV at 7,000 rpm and peak torque of 490 Nm (50 kgm) at 4,750 rpm. In effect the GranCabrio is built directly onto the underpinnings of the GranCabrio S Automatic and thus incorporates its ZF-sourced 6-speed gearbox that features four modes of operation: "Auto Normal", "Auto Sport", "Auto Ice" and "Manual". With a kerb weight of 1980 kg the GranCabrio is only 100 kg heavier than its coupé sister; front-rear weight distribution is 49-51 percent with the top up and 48-52 percent with the hood folded away while the drag co-efficient (Cd) is 0.35 with the roof up and 0.39 when it is folded away. Keeping the additional weight down means the GranCabrio can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, cover 400 metres from standstill in 13.9 seconds and one kilometre in 24.8 seconds, while deceleration from 100 km/h to standstill takes just 35 metres. The GranCabrio also benefits from the Trident's highly regarded "Skyhook Continuous Damping System" which "chooses" the best damping settings to soak up bumps in the road surface.

Inside the sumptuous cabin the GranCabrio has the real feel of a four seater, the first genuine four-seat convertible to ever emerge from Modena, cossetting passengers in swathes of rich leather; however the launch car's mix of Cuio (beige) and Rosso Corallo (red) doesn't work at all, even more so along with the "Moonwood" wood trim inserts, the colours all clashing, and this option is unlikely to be specified by customers.

The launch of the GranCabrio attracts a string of leading names from the city's business and academic communities; these guests include Chula-Payap Srikarnchana, Matthew Kitothan, Dr. Cathleen Maleenont, Dr. Chettha Songthaveepol, Vapee Bhirombhakdi, Chakrit Benedetti, Sittichai Mahaguna, Chatwaruth Musigchai, Thitinan Kiatphaibool, Nuttapon Khambanonda, Phumin Mahawan, Associate Professor Prechaporn Suwatnodom and Krisda Samphantharak.

Pornsarin Maethivacharanondh, Managing Director of Empire Motor Sport Co., Ltd., sees that with a strong three-model line up the company will change it market approach this year to focus on exclusive events that give customers a special experience of the brand and there are also plans to establish a "Maserati Club" that will provide fans with the opportunity to get together and take part in events. With so many cars grouped in a similar price bracket on the Thai market Empire Motor Sport sees customer loyalty as the driving factor, building on the brand's attributes of distinctive design, style, powerful and competent performance and comfort.

This year the importer is targeting sales of all three models combined at between ten and fifteen cars and it aims to sell between three to five examples of the new GranCabrio per annum, starting this year. "This figure is satisfying under the current economic and political situation," says Empire Motor Sport." The company [is] also focused on improving its staff and increasing efficiency of [the] service team with an aim at satisfying customers." Empire Motor Sport adds that "the profit figure this year is a minor aim as the company needs to prepare the organization to be ready for brand expansion [in Thailand] in the future."

ItaliaspeedTV - Maserati GranCabrio Launch, Thailand