Cauley: Motown’s Original Maserati Dealer
Exclusivity and Service in the Home of the Automobile

For those who do not know it, Greater Detroit remains the automotive capital of the world. The Big Three really are still big, and the men and women who work for them and the many other companies that grew up to serve the world’s desire for basic, reliable personal transportation know about cars. They respect the automobile and they admire great design and fine craftsmanship. And when they want the very best in luxury high performance, they head to West Bloomfield to speak with Cauley Maserati, the area’s original Maserati dealership.

One of the first things that strikes the visitor to Cauley Maserati, set like a jewel between performance-oriented Cadillac and Chevrolet dealerships, is the attractive modern architecture. Sweeping walls of glass provide an airy feeling inside and give a sense of motion from outside. They also provide an expanse large enough to display all three Quattroporte variants - Quattroporte, Executive GT and Sport GT - beside one another, so that customers can hop in and out of each, feeling the differences before going out for a test drive or choosing how to personalize their Maserati. At a discreet distance from the cars themselves are tasteful displays of merchandise from the Maserati Collection, and other items of interest to the enthusiast. Through a short hallway lined with displays of collectible automobile miniatures is a second equally spacious showroom set aside for the display of some classic Italian sports cars and a number of racing cars. Beyond this inner sanctum is a service department specifically designed to replicate the best European models, complete with lifts and equipment imported from Italy, but what is most noticeable about this laboratory-clean technical enclave is the fact that it can be thoroughly observed by customers through a wall of internal windows. Cauley Maserati is rightly proud of its customer and technical service and its mission of catering to enthusiasts, reflected by this beautiful and welcoming architecture.

Nestled between the showrooms are the relaxed offices, where we sat down to chat with General Manager Dan Cable and Maserati Sales Manager Dave Accorsi. Both come from a background in automobile service, and exemplary customer service is a focus of the discussion, in part because it explains how they overcame challenges inherent to their market. “We thought that Maserati would be the bread and butter of this business, and I believe it still will be” said Dan Cable as he described the enormous growth of Trident sales in an area where driving a product other than the one you helped build or sell was once a social taboo. “This is the stronghold of the Big Three and the home of DaimlerChrysler. When Ford began to run Jaguar from PAG in Dearborn, and again when Audi moved to the area, we potentially lost a great many upper and middle-management customers we might have targeted."

Fortunately, the quality of the product and the fact that an exclusive Italian marque is not perceived as a threat to area jobs or livelihoods has helped grow a loyal base of clients. Said Cable, “We had the Coupe and Spyder, and then they introduced the Quattroporte, which was great. The QP got immediate acceptance, and then the Automatic came along, which went even further. Now we’ve got the GranTurismo, which is the most gorgeous car we’ve seen in a long time and people call us about it almost daily.”

“As Maserati North America has built the brand in this market, we have seen an increase in acceptance and interest. In this area our typical customer is an educated professional: physicians, attorneys, small manufacturers who sell to the Big Three, and other business people related to the industry. They can opt for a Cadillac or Lincoln, or any of the Germans, but they want exclusivity. Especially with Jaguar’s alignment with Ford, it’s a sea of them and Mercedes, and those are all silver. You could stand on Orchard Lake Road and in five minutes, twenty will go by. But people are recognizing that the Quattroporte is a good-looking car, it’s really handsome, it looks Italian, it looks different, and the word of mouth is really positive. Of the luxury brands, Jaguar has a pretty good history of producing beautiful cars, although I feel they’ve watered things down in the past ten years. When you saw a Jaguar, it made you think: I want to be that person, but now that’s what they think when they see a Maserati. It stands out. And people in Detroit know about quality and design in cars because they all have contact with the business: everyone in Detroit has some degree of auto focus, because everyone’s family, somewhere or another, is connected to the car business. Whether dad worked on the line, or my brother-in-law worked in the glass house at Dearborn – everyone has a connection. They can pick out the quality and superior design in the Quattroporte, especially.”

Are there people who work at the Big Three and have bought a Maserati from Cauley? Yes, according to Accorsi: “Mostly they are on the design side; they really appreciate the looks of the cars and the level of engineering they find in them. Quite a few comment that they are quite good value, and these are people who know the true cost of designing and building a car.”

So the cars are what brought people to Cauley Maserati, helping them overcome any apprehension about buying ‘outside the family’, but what brings them back? Cable and Accorsi agree it is Cauley’s high-service philosophy. “It’s clich�d to say it these days, but we try to stick with the philosophy that the customer is always right and we aim to please them. The men and women who walk in here, firstly they are enthusiasts and they already know a good deal about the cars. It usually meets their expectations, and then it’s up to us to ensure every part of the purchase and ownership experience meets or exceeds their expectations as well. We have the best service department possible. We’ve had people come to us because they’d heard great things about the service manager – they might not be especially unhappy with whatever they are driving, but they have heard our service is great and they aren’t getting what they expect from their Mercedes or Audi dealer, or whatever, so they trade up to the Maserati and also get the experience they expected.”

“We don’t try to pretend these cars aren’t expensive”, continued General Manager Dan Cable. “Even with the excellent new financing options we have through Maserati Financial Services, and even though many of our customers have the ability to just come in and spend whatever they want, people think about most purchases. These are not easy times for everyone in this area and they need to feel very comfortable with major decisions. We help with that, without any pressure. While most people buy a Maserati with options we have suggested for them, there are still quite a few who enjoy the full personalization opportunity. The only problem is that sometimes they are overwhelmed by the level of choice. We’ve actually had someone who hired a designer to help them spec out their car! They get to the point where there are so many good things, and so many fun things to do, they can’t make their minds up. So they hired a designer to help them decide what to do. One customer came in three times to order her car, and we just couldn’t get it done – we spent hours trying to get it nailed down. We were looking at this and that, looking at the swatches inside and outside, in the sun or in the shade. The designer walked in, and in less than ten minutes, we were done. Now we keep the cards of a couple of interior designers around, so if people need help on that level, we can recommend it.”

“Once they have bought a car, they can feel sure that we will do whatever is necessary to keep them happy. We make sure that all our processes are transparent. If they happen not to be car enthusiasts, we want to make them Maserati enthusiasts through the sales and ownership experience. They will get the best service, and they get it as fast as possible. We want them in their car driving and enjoying it, not waiting for it. We keep everything transparent, and we keep it personal. We hold quite a few events for customers, including a couple of track events each year, and we try to involve ourselves in events and causes that are of importance to the all of the broader Cauley family, which means the owners as well as everyone who works here. If a customer asks us for help with an event they are passionate about, we try to help out. We even store their summer and winter wheels for them on these premises after each season’s changeover, and for those who want to store the car over the winter, we can help with preparations.”

Does Cauley really have owners who drive their Maseratis in a Michigan winter? Yes they do agreed Cable and Accorsi. “Firstly you have to remember that it’s not all snow and ice all the time, and also that in this area we are used to some heavy weather and can get it cleared pretty quickly. The engineering of the cars and the electronic driver aids help, especially the ‘low grip’ or ‘Ice’ button. The cars remain comfortable even with the expansion strips and the frost heave. We still suggest people who are going to use their Maserati as a daily driver in winter get a second set of wheels and some good winter tires, because the weather here can catch anyone out.” While Dan could recount a time when he ran a little afoul of winter weather on some very low profile summer tires he said “I don’t recall anyone getting stuck with the winter tires, but I’m also not sure anyone has taken theirs to the UP (Upper Peninsula) in a blizzard!” And he would know because Cauley maintains contact with its customers.

The personal touch obviously works. While we were at the dealership, customers called to chat and they drop by just for a coffee and to see what’s going on. Attending an event with Dave Accorsi the next day numerous people, many of them customers, dropped by just to say hello, introduce friends they wanted Dave to meet, and enjoy the hospitality Cauley makes a part of its atmosphere at the dealership and beyond. Dave gave his full attention to each of his customers and their friends but, just as interestingly, he also gave his full attention to everyone who wanted to talk and see the Quattroporte and GranTurismo he had with him. It did not matter whether they were ever likely to buy a car - they were enthusiasts and part of the community, and Dave made sure every one of them was catered to. Even when they aren’t making customers, the staff at Cauley Maserati always make friends.