Maserati of Troy – Selling luxury in Michigan
Discerning car people of Detroit flocking to iconic Italian marque

The introduction of the Maserati Quattroporte Automatic at the beginning of 2007, and the forthcoming GranTurismo coupe, is propelling demand for the exclusive Italian marquee ever higher. Elsewhere in this edition of Maserati Monthly, you can read about the four newest Maserati dealerships in the United States, clear evidence of the marquee’s growing appeal in North America; and earlier this year, Maserati of Troy opened its doors for the first time in Michigan. We paid them a visit, to find out how they were getting on with the challenge of representing Maserati in the state which is home to the Big Three auto makers.

“We’re very pleased about our new Maserati franchise - we’re looking for great things,” said sales manager Matthew Vazana. “The timing is excellent, given the growth plans of Maserati and the new offerings coming through, such as the Automatic and the GranTurismo. We’re excited to be a part of that, and we expect to win people over to Maserati from some of the other high-line brands.”

While Troy is only 15 miles from central Detroit and Dearborn, being so near the home of Ford, GM and Chrysler has its advantages. “There are a lot of people in this area who are seriously interested in cars – they know what they like, they appreciate a car which has great styling,” Matthew explained. “Basically, they are car nuts – but they can also be ‘brand advocates’ for us. Once we convince them of what Maserati has to offer, and why it makes sense, they can help us preach the gospel. These people are the movers and shakers of the Detroit metro scene, and their car is an expression of their personality. They appreciate that, just as their suit says something about them, so does their Maserati.”

Maserati of Troy is the latest franchise in the portfolio of The Suburban Collection, which also counts similar prestige marques such as Bentley, Rolls Royce and Lamborghini among its offerings. The company sees this as a ‘win-win’ situation. “We’ve been operating in the Detroit area for almost five years now, and it’s been a learning experience,” Matthew told us. “We’re going to use what we’ve learned with our other brands to make Maserati a success in this market. Each brand is unique, so you do things a little differently – but the customer always comes first. It gives us more to offer our clients; for example, a Lamborghini is plainly not an ideal only-car scenario, but a Quattroporte is. And if someone is looking at a Bentley, but doesn’t want to spend over $200,000, the Maserati is the obvious choice.”

We also spoke to sales executive Nathan Wonboy, whose affection for Maserati shone through our discussion. “I love the Maseratis – they’re so practical, yet so luxurious and exotic,” he told us. “I think the Quattroporte is a very classy luxury vehicle, but one with a sporty, exotic twist that everyone desires to have. It’s such a well-rounded vehicle, I think it appeals to everyone, and I think that’s a great thing Maserati has going for it.”

“The car really sells itself, once people have driven it,” he continued. “I take a different approach to some people. When someone comes in and wants to know about the Quattroporte, I tell them that I can give them all the facts and figures, the horsepower, the torque and everything – but until they get into the car, it won’t really help. And when they do, they are really surprised by it, and they quickly appreciate that it is a phenomenal car. I don’t have to take them very far – I often just go and get on the interstate, get off at the next intersection and come back on regular roads. The on and off ramps let people feel how it handles, and it’s important for them to see that it’s just fine on the street.”

“The practicality is important for Maserati buyers – they’re often people who have had some success in their lives, and who want to reward themselves, but they still want the practicality of being able to take their vehicle any place – the grocery store or to a great restaurant, and be able to take someone with them,” Nathan explained. “Also, the exclusivity is one of the more important factors - that’s a very attractive feature of the brand. And of course, for even greater exclusivity, they can order a car to their exact configuration, which makes a great talking point.”

“We see Maserati as attracting two different kinds of client,” said Matthew. “There are some people who always want something new and different in their garage, and they look to us to keep them informed of their options. And then there are the successful professionals, who probably don’t want to drop $200,000 for a Bentley, so they’re on their fifth or sixth BMW or Mercedes. They’re often looking for something to differentiate themselves from the other professionals, something more exclusive, but still practical – and the Maserati fits the bill perfectly.”

“What’s more, of all the brands I have an opportunity to drive, for all the off-site events we do that we take cars to, the Quattroporte is my car of choice right now,” he enthused. “It’s sexy, it’s Italian, it has sports-car styling, it’s functional – I can fit my wife and two kids in it. I don’t drive on the expressway to and from home, I take the regular streets – and it’s about as fun a car as you can get. Fifteen miles each way, and that’s what I communicate to our clients when they ask: Why a Maserati Quattroporte, I can take how I feel about the car, the tune of the exhaust, the tactile feedback, and communicate that to them – and be passionate in the process.”

Maserati of Troy works overtime to get the Maserati message across to the right kind of clientele. Here, their experience with other luxury brands means that they already have a feel for what works, and for the kinds of pastimes indulged in by their customers. “We know the right places to go to be seen by the right people – golf clubs, jewellery and fashion parties,” said Matthew. “In addition, here on the shore of one of the Great Lakes we have some of the finest boating in the country, so we like to get out in front of the boaters. The Maserati name really invokes a positive image, and as soon as they hear the word ‘Maserati’, our affinity partners want to be a part of it. We always ensure that what we do with our partners is a good ‘fit’ for the brand, but the partners always want to make it work.”

“You can understand why the partners are so keen – every Maserati has what I call the ‘valet factor’, where you take it to a restaurant and know that it will get the best parking spot,” he continued. “People are drawn to it, because it’s exclusive – they recognize that it’s a hot, cool car but they don’t know what it is, and they’re drawn to it. We recently did an event with three of our brands, and we were pleased that the Maserati got more attention than the other two. Women, in particular, seem to be drawn to it – it’s an attainable car, it’s comfortable to get in, it’s comfortable when they’re in it, it’s a car they can see themselves driving.”

Maserati of Troy may be one of the newest dealerships in North America, but they are determined to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Quattroporte Automatic and the GranTurismo.  Stop by to visit Matt and Nathan in their temporary facility in Troy, and be sure to visit their brand new showroom when it opens in January!