Next-gen Maseratis to feature full petrol line-up alongside hybrid and electric models, says top official

Maserati’s Head of Overseas Markets Philippe Claverol shed light on the brand’s future plans for the Indian market at the India launch of the updated supercar flagship MCPura. Claverol said India will be one of Maserati’s top 10 markets by 2030 and 2025 represents the first step towards realizing this plan by strengthening the brand’s presence in the northern and southern parts of the country by opening two new dealerships, one in New Delhi and the other in Bengaluru.

Although 2024 sales figures are not available, the brand sold fewer than 50 cars in 2023. The latest supercar flagship, the MCPura, retails at: ₹4.12 crore (ex-showroom), MCPura Cielo with convertible version, cost ₹5.12 crore (ex-showroom). The car features a twin-turbo “Nettuno” V6 that was designed from scratch by Maserati and serves as the brand’s crowning jewel in the post-Ferrari era.

In a sit-down interview, Claverol said the car wasn’t as fast or flashy as rival models from Porsche or Ferrari but had a similar price tag.

“First of all, there are very few customers who can discover 100% the power and capacity of their vehicles. Even in Formula 1 there is a difference in skill between 20 drivers. Our concept for Maserati can be well described in two words: ‘Gran Turismo’. It is about a mixture of high performance and comfort.”

Still, the MCPura remains the supercar of purists. Although its development has not been driven by the pursuit of lap times, its mechanically straightforward nature, traditional mid-engine, rear-wheel drive format, optimum weight balance and sharp steering response mean it is more at home on the racetrack than on public roads. It remains the halo product that Claverol says will drive growth, with high-end SUVs such as the Grecale and Levante occupying the mainstream segment.

“I think the Grecale is particularly suitable for India. It has a wide range of engine options, it’s not particularly large,” says Claverol, remaining tight-lipped on what kind of SUVs Maserati plans to offer in the future; including the EV version of the Grecale, which is conspicuously absent from the Indian lineup despite its reasonable tax structures.

“If the free trade agreement, which will definitely happen, makes electric cars more affordable for India, we will of course encourage them. For now, we have found that customers are more interested in petrol engines. But the next-generation products will have a full petrol range, with hybrid and electric versions available in parallel,” says Claverol, echoing the strategy adopted by many European luxury performance brands, including Porsche.

“Unlike some brands, we have never preferred only electric cars,” he adds.

The year 2024 marked a dramatic contraction in sales in various markets, and Maserati, which has invested heavily in electric performance, has cut its spending on electric vehicles. However, even for performance flagships like the MC20, whose electric version was canceled in March, Claverol says the future of Maserati’s lineup will include electric and hybrid options for most cars, possibly even the MCPura, an evolution of the MC20.

“When you run a business you have to be very pragmatic. So don’t ignore anything. While we need to stay true to our past, we also need to adapt to the tax systems in each country. So let’s not ignore anything.”

Like most traditional performance brands trying to reclaim their halcyon days, Maserati aims to stay true to what it knows best: gas-powered luxury and performance.

“We are also back in the GT2 racing series, where we won for the second time in Europe and are well ahead of the competition.”

The evolution of the Indian luxury car buyer

For a market like India, which likes luxury performance cars to mean status and wealth, Maserati’s more restrained luxury brand has produced mixed results, with much of the messaging about the brand’s remarkable history and pedigree lost in translation.

“I think we need to recognize that if there are mixed messages about the perception of the brand, it’s mainly from us. If you look at the history of the brand, we had some very, very great cars, but we were wandering around different segments,” says Claverol, in a subtle nod to strategic shifts in the goalposts that have come with a series of shake-ups for the organisation.

Yet even for a niche and optics-focused market like India, Claverol believes an increasingly discerning consumer base is on the rise.

“When people become luxury buyers, there is a learning curve. In the beginning, you want a big logo on your belt, your bag or your car. Then you go deeper, you want the product to mean something. The ultimate luxury is a product made just for you. And there is a young, growing breed of entrepreneurs leading start-ups in India, who are more interested in quiet luxury. And Maserati is about quiet luxury. You I can say that there are many brands in Italy that are about quiet luxury and they are very big. “Once a customer gives up on flashy products, at a certain point they move on to something different,” says Claverol, citing the Chinese market as evidence of this progress.

“Twenty-five years ago, the Chinese luxury market was very focused on large logos. Just like the Russian market. Then we saw that customers quickly moved towards more refined logos. It’s the same in the watch industry; when you buy a Rolex, you want to go for a more niche logo.”