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

At the India launch of its updated supercar flagship, the MCPura, Maserati’s Head of Overseas Markets, Philippe Claverol, shed light on the brand’s future plans for the Indian market. Claverol said India will be one of Maserati’s top 10 markets by 2030, and 2025 marks the first step towards fulfilling that plan, as the brand has opened two new dealerships, one in New Delhi and another in Bengaluru, strengthening its presence in the northern and southern regions of the country.

While its 2024 sales figures aren’t available, the brand sold fewer than 50 cars in 2023. Its latest supercar flagship, the MCPura, retails at ₹4.12 crore (ex-showroom), with a convertible version, the MCPura Cielo, costing ₹5.12 crore (ex-showroom). The car features a twin-turbo “Nettuno” V6 that’s been engineered from scratch by Maserati, serving as its crowning jewel in the brand’s post-Ferrari era.

In a sit-down interview, Claverol said the car is not as fast or flashy as rival models from Porsche or Ferrari but commands a similar price tag.

“First of all, there are very few customers who can explore 100% of the power and capacity of their cars. Even in Formula One, there is a skill difference among the 20 drivers. For Maserati, our concept can be explained very well in two words: 'Gran Turismo’. It’s about a mix of high performance and comfort.”

Yet, the MCPura remains a purist's supercar. Even though its development may not have been governed by the pursuit of lap times, its mechanically lucid nature, traditional mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive format, optimal weight balance and sharp steering response suggest it's more at home on a race track than public roads. It remains a halo product, with high-end SUVs like the Grecale and the Levante occupying the main segment that Claverol says will drive growth.

“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 about what sort of SUVs Maserati is planning to introduce in the future, including Grecale’s EV variant, which remains conspicuously absent from the Indian line-up despite amenable tax structures.

“If the free trade agreement, which will happen for sure, makes electric cars more feasible for India, obviously, we will promote them. For now, we’ve found that customers are more interested in petrol engines. But the next generation of products will have a full petrol line-up with hybrid and electric versions existing in parallel,” says Claverol, echoing the strategy taken by many European luxury performance brands, including Porsche.

“Contrary to some other brands, we have never made the choice to have electric cars only,” he adds.

The year 2024 marked a dramatic contraction in sales across various markets, and Maserati, which was betting big on electric performance, retrenched spending on EVs. However, even for performance flagships like the MC20, whose electric version was cancelled in March, Claverol says that the future of Maserati’s line-up will include electric and hybrid options for most cars, possibly even the MCPura, which is an evolution of the MC20.

“When you run a business, you have to be very pragmatic. So never rule out anything. While we have to be true to our history, we also have to adapt to the tax systems in each country. So let’s rule out nothing.”

Much like most heritage performance brands struggling to reclaim their halcyon days, Maserati intends to stick to what it knows best—petrol-powered luxury and performance.

“We’re also back in the GT2 racing series in Europe, which we have won for the second time and are far ahead of the competition.”

The evolution of the Indian luxury car buyer

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

“I think we have to acknowledge that if there is some mixed messaging about the perception of the brand, it’s mainly because of us. If you look at this history of the brand, we’ve had many, many great cars, but we have been navigating among different segments,” says Claverol, in a subtle nod to the strategic shifts in goal posts that have come with a set of tremors for the organisation.

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

“When people become luxury buyers, there is a learning curve. At the beginning, you want the big logo on your belt, or bag or car. And then you go deeper, you want the product to have meaning. Ultimate luxury is a product that’s made just for you. And India has such a young, growing breed of entrepreneurs leading start-ups, who are more interested in quiet luxury. And Maserati is about quiet luxury. I can tell you, in Italy, there are many brands which are about quiet luxury and they’re very big. Once a customer has moved on from flashy products, at a certain point, they move to something different,” says Claverol, citing the Chinese market as evidence of this progression.

“Twenty-five years ago, the Chinese market for luxury was very heavy on big logos. As was the Russian market. Then rapidly, we’ve seen customers move to more refined. It’s the same with the watch industry, once you’ve bought a Rolex, you want to go for something more niche.”