One review of the new Maserati Levante Trofeo Limited Edition, with its V8 engine due to hit Australia’s shores early in 2020, describes it as “obscenely expensive.” Here Glen Sealey COO of Maserati Australasia and South Africa justifies the Aus$330,000 price tag, and talks exclusively for us about the exciting Italian brand.
“The car itself is at a high price point but in terms of the performance it offers, the craftmanship it offers, and the all-round capability of the car across track and road it is a bargain, especially when compared to its competitors. The performance of 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds represents one of the fastest SUVs around but that is only half the story. It is also about the handling and braking, with the best brakes in existence, Brembo racing car brakes as on all our cars, that is why the stopping distance is so good and why the Trofeo is inherently safe and handles so well.
“Everything we do at Maserati is about a Gran Turismo philosophy and Levante as a brand is no different – the philosophy is to be able to travel in comfort, at speed, with four people and appropriate luggage. It has excellent off-road capability and having driven the car in the sand dunes of Dubai in over 50-degree heat for over three hours, it is unbelievable off-road. All of our customers when they go on the off-road test drive track are always stunned at the ability of what this car can do. But the beauty of it is, are its on-road manners, it is an SUV that feels and drives like a sedan. The car is so predictable and yes, it is powerful, but it feels like a sedan or sports car in an SUV body.
“The reality is, the luxury car market is turning into an SUV market. Therefore, it is important for Maserati to take its place in this market. Customers now see the benefits of an SUV more than ever, these being a car that can ride like a sedan, drive like a sedan, but can still get you off the wet football field, has great luggage capacity to carry all manner of gear, that can used daily but can be used and enjoyed for the weekend blast through the Kangaroo Valley or wherever. The Levante straddles the two tasks very well.
“One of the major advantages and points of difference of the Levante over its competitors is that it has a unique, bespoke chassis. Our cars are innately different to other manufacturers. It is not about selling lots of cars – we are more expensive, we offer a higher level of quality, and a completely different experience, none of which we apologise for. We want to keep our exclusivity, we are not about volume. One of the nice things about Maserati is that you do not see one on every street corner.
“The engine in the Levante Trofeo is a very efficient 3.8 litre originally designed for Maserati by Paolo Martinelli, who used to work with Michael Schumacher in F1. We design and patent our own engines, but they are made in the Ferrari factory in Maranello near to Maserati which is based in Modena. It is close by which is important, and the consistency and the quality of production is good.
“The V8 engine sounds quite loud and very sporty but to protect the quality of interior comfort we have frameless double-glazed glass. In normal mode, subtle and easy on the ear, not intrusive, you can still hear the Bowers & Wilkins sound system which has been specifically designed for each Maserati model. But in sport mode, the aural pleasure of the engine note is fantastic.
“Conquest sales, new buyers, make up 90% of those purchasing the Levante. Maserati ten years ago sold predominantly to males, aged 48, who owned their own business. Today, I am pleased to say, it is much more diverse, for Levante it is 35% female ownership, powerful who want to make a statement. We used to be a very masculine brand, but we have softened. The prime age group in terms of demographic is now 35 to 45, younger, more females and all entrepreneurial in their thinking.
“There are two reasons why one would change from a normal Levante to the top of the range Levante Trofeo. The first, simply more power, higher grade leather, the extra features. Secondly, perhaps is the non-rational side – that you want the very best, which has its own attraction. It is after all the most powerful production car we make. There is a trend in Maserati to buy the best.
“In terms of electrification Maserati will go that way and produce light hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a full EV, and we will see that in future models as we move forward. However, electrification in Australia is going to be a very interesting discussion. We still have a situation where the internal combustion engine cars are highly taxed. We pay a 5% duty on cars coming in from Europe; then 10% VAT; 33% luxury car tax over the $68,000 threshold; stamp duty; and then nearly half the cost per litre of fuel goes to the government. All of that revenue goes toward road infrastructure. What happens when fuel excise etc goes with electric cars – where does the revenue come from to support the infrastructure? These tax issues for the industry overall need to be discussed. What will be the tax system when electric cars become the norm? ”
