MASERATI IN INDIA

DEBUT OF MASERATI IN INDIA

After Ferrari, now its the turn of Italian sister Maserati to mark its debut in India. The Economic Times reports that the luxury sports car maker will launch its models in the country in April, priced between Rs. 3 and 5 crores.

Maserati is owned by the Fiat Group, which also owns Ferrari. Earlier this month, Ferrari appointed Shreyans Group as the official importer of Ferrari cars in India. Though Maserati is yet to announce the name of its Indian partner, it has entered into a deal with a Mumbai based firm for importing its cars in the Indian market.

Maserati Spokesperson Silvia Saporetti told The Economic Times, “We see a great potential for Maserati marquee as all major luxury brands are sold out in the Indian market.”

The Maserati brand will be competing with the likes of Lamborghinis, Bugattis, Ferraris and Porsches in the country. . Maserati brand cars are currently sold in as many as 57 markets of the world.

Besides the venture into the Indian market, the company is also reported to be working on an in-house Quattroporte replacement code named M156.

The company will roll-out three series of its cars in India including two-seater GranCabrio range, Quattroporte sedan and GranTurismo coupe, priced in the range of Rs 3 to 5 crore.

Maserati Quattroporte – Rs. 3 crore*

Maserati Quattroporte, the model which established the category of "Luxury Sports Saloons", can be considered something of a Maserati masterpiece. After five years of success, with more than 15,000 cars delivered and 46 international awards, the Maserati Quattroporte is now being presented with a new look and new technical solutions.

The personality and glamour of the Maserati flagship are now represented by two products: the Maserati Quattroporte and the Maserati Quattroporte S. The former is fitted with the familiar 4.2 litre 400 hp V8 engine, while the latter adopts the new 4.7 litre 430 hp V8. Both cars feature the 6-speed automatic transmission developed in association with ZF which will provide the car with Acceleration from 0-100 km/hr in 5.6 seconds while the top speed is rated at 269 km/hr.

The Pininfarina-designed Quattroporte (meaning 4 doors in Italian) luxury saloon’s grille has convex edges and the traditional Trident logo of Maserati. The headlights have integrated LED daytime running lights. The long overhang at the front tucks in a 4.2-litre V8 engine under its hood. The V8 mill belts out 400 PS and is mated to a Duo Select transmission.

Maserati GranTurismo – Rs. 4.75 crore*

The Gran Turismo is a 2-door, 4-seater coupe that’s powered by a 4.2-litre engine that produces 405 bhp of maximum power at 7,100 rpm and 460 Nm of maximum torque at 4,750 rpm. Maserati claims that the GranTurismo has an acceleration of 5.2 seconds from 0 – 100 km/hr and a top speed of 286 km/hr.

The first GranTurismo concept was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2007. In successive years, Maserati launched the GranTurismo S, GranTurismo MC and MC Sport Line. The latest variant of the GranTurismo is the MC Stradale, which was showcased at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. This sports car will likely be launched with a powerful 444 hp engine.

Maserati GranCabrio – Rs. 5 crore*

The GranCabrio is a 2-door 4-seater coupe with a soft top. Powered by a 4.7-litre, V8 engine that churns out 434 horses, the GranCabrio can accelerates from 0 – 100 km/hr in 5.3 seconds and achieve a top speed of 283 km/hr.The engine is mated to a ZF 6-speed automatic transmission which includes Auto Normal Mode, Auto Sport Mode, Auto ICE Mode and Manual Mode.

The company is planning to bring whole range of its cars in India, where a number of top end celebrities already own Maserati cars including Amitabh Bachchan, Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani and Ajay Devgn.

Maserati, headquartered in Modena, Italy, was established in 1914 in Bologna. Maserati cars were initially designed to compete with Ferrari models. In 1973 Fiat took over Maserati and integrated it with Ferrari S.p.A though since 2005, Maserati has been part of Alfa Romeo.

Maserati may have been late to join the party with super luxury car makers such as Porsche, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Maybach, Lamborghini, Bugatti and recently Ferrari already setting up operations and dealerships in India. Last month, there were reports of Cadillac, too, wanting to launch its cars in India.