“We view Maserati as our crowning jewel…”
Breaking new ground with Maserati of Sacramento

Earlier this year we visited one of the newest dealerships in North America, Maserati of Sacramento, in California. One of seven new dealerships added to the growing network of Maserati dealerships, it is also one of the most impressive – both inside and out. The building is dedicated to Maserati; it has a luxurious yet relaxed ambiance, with floor to ceiling windows flooding the central display area with natural light. Underneath the huge Maserati logo – the largest we’ve seen – several cars are proudly displayed; several more are lined up on a lawn which runs along the front of the dealership.

“We designed that area specifically to look like the cars are lined up at a concours event; we wanted to put the cars somewhere that makes them feel rich, and to give people a feeling that not only do they see the cars when they come here, but they see them in an environment that no other dealers have,” explained Mario Biundo, general manager of the dealership. “When you drive by our store and see Maseratis sitting on the lawn, it makes it look intimate and special, just as you would see cars at Pebble Beach or Quail Lodge, during Concours week. In fact, this whole place is designed to ensure that the cars are the stars.”

We spoke to Mario and Rick Niello, the president of the Niello Company, in the midst of those undoubted stars lined up on the polished marble floor of the showroom. The Niello Company sells eleven different automotive brands from ten different locations in Sacramento – indeed, the Maserati building is flanked by two brands who might be seen to be competitors, BMW and Jaguar. So where does Maserati fit within the Niello Company’s portfolio?

“Within the group we do a lot of branding with cars, and Maserati is our most upscale product; we are in the upscale segment of the market, which is intentional, and we view Maserati as our crowning jewel,” Rick told us. “We’re very proud to be associated with Maserati. In fact, there was an article done in the local paper, the Sacramento Bee – and the tone of the article was that the Niello Company was doing the local community a favor by bringing this wonderful Italian car to the market in Sacramento, because it’s so upscale, it has so much panache and such a tremendous reputation. So we’re just trying to follow through on that.”

“It’s been neat to have Maserati be such a key figure in Sacramento, that Sacramento is coming of age and Maserati is helping them to do that,” said Mario. “A lot of our clients had seen BMW and Mercedes as the pinnacle of their automotive ownership have now reached for something different, and to be able to give them Maserati, which is the top of all brands in our eyes, is something that I’ve always dreamed of doing. The Niello company isn’t in the transportation business – people don’t buy a Maserati simply to get from point A to point B. It’s a statement, it’s a lifestyle, and that’s pretty consistent with all the brands we sell. Of course, Maserati is pretty much at the top of the food chain.”

We wondered whether having the Maserati showroom positioned between two potential competitors might be a drawback – emphatically not so. In fact, Rick and Mario see it as a positive advantage. “There are a number of cars we sell which focus on the same demographic group we’re targeting with Maserati; but Maserati is such a different kind of product – it’s the sexiest car we sell, it solves so many drivers’ needs,” explained Rick. “The Quattroporte has four doors, you can put four people in it comfortably, yet it offers a great sports car experience, it feels like a very athletic, nimble car, very fun to drive. It’s Ferrari powered, so it has a sound which is in a league by itself; the build quality is as good as any German car which I sell, so the build quality is at the top of the market. The car offers a uniqueness which we don’t even come close to, in any of our other franchises.”

“I see, on a frequent basis, owners of German cars who spent their whole life trying to get to what they thought was the pinnacle of cars; having a Maserati dealership just next door to the BMW dealership, they get a reality check of walking down the steps, and seeing what really is the best,” continued Mario. “I feel that Maserati is the pinnacle, and when they get to touch it, feel it, sense it, hear it, all those things that Italian cars do to people, it really sells itself. There’s not much salesmanship here – we’re really in the people business, the relationship business, and Maserati is the best conduit to do that. What I see is that most of the people who come to want to experience a Maserati are ‘car people’ – they really are engaged in the driving dynamics of the car, how it responds, how it handles, how it sounds. What they have probably underestimated is that a Maserati does more for their senses than any other car. Sure, BMW does it, and Porsche does it – Maserati just seems to do it best. Once they have driven the car, once they have experienced it for themselves, they can see what we mean when we say that the Maserati appeals to all your senses, not just a few.”

The uniqueness and exclusivity of Maserati is another important factor, according to Rick. “A lot of people who are perhaps buying BMW 7-series, Audi A8, Porsche, they’re looking for something a little different. Well, for about the same kind of money they can get something where there are very few of them on the road. Of course, we’d like to change that, by selling more, but it will always be a limited-production car. It will always offer a lot of individual taste to the driver, it will set him apart. It has looks and aesthetics which are very well balanced and in good taste – it’s not flashy, not like driving a red Ferrari down the road. The Ferrari will turn all kinds of heads, but people may also jump to conclusions which may not be accurate. The Maserati blends in very tastefully, it makes a great statement, and a lot of people want to be associated with that.”

As president of the Niello Company and general manager of the Maserati dealership, you might think that Rick and Mario would be hard-headed businessmen, interested primarily in volumes and margins, sales and traffic. While such things are plainly of interest to them, they are first and foremost ‘car guys’ – they both spoke with intelligence and passion, and were obviously delighted to be associated with such a prestigious brand as Maserati. They do their best to communicate their passion to their clients, and they strive to develop and maintain long-term relationships with them.

“It begins with the sale of a new car; we open a bottle of champagne with the owner,” explained Mario. “It’s a celebration – we pour a small glass of champagne, and we share it between all of us, and congratulate the new owner on their new car, and welcome them to our ‘family’. And we organize events to keep the relationships going – we have driving events, driving schools, tours up through the Napa valley. That’s something you don’t find anywhere else. We’re also aiming to be the No.1 Maserati dealership in northern California. I know that’s a bold statement, but that’s what we’re shooting for. We’re aiming to do that in the best possible way – so that our customers recognize that we’re here, not just to sell them a car but to support them through their entire ownership.”

“My vision is that we will continue to develop the brand, and continue to tie it in with the Niello group,” said Rick. “With the new products coming out of the factory in Modena,  Maserati will continue to grow, and we will sell more cars as the market expands. We’ll develop more customers who are familiar with the dealership. I would like to have people moving up through the brands in the Niello group, with Maserati being at the top. When they come through the door of this building, we want them to feel that this is a unique environment. I look at this strategically – we’ve got various brands, and we offer different flavors of the same kinds of cars. Clearly the pinnacle on this campus is Maserati; it’s got cachet which the other cars don’t have, it’s got uniqueness. If someone is driving a Maserati, they’re not driving a product that anyone else is driving. It’s unique, very individualistic. It’s a practical car, yet its looks separate it from the other cars.”

With existing clients trading up from Jaguar and BMW, with growing awareness of Maserati bringing Mercedes and Porsche drivers to them, Maserati of Sacramento is ideally positioned to capitalize on the growing breadth and depth of models being offered by Maserati. With people as passionate and committed to the marque as Rick and Mario, continued success seems assured.