In an exclusive interview to Drivemeonline, which should leave petrolheads elated, Philippe Claverol, Head of Maserati Overseas, discusses the brand’s advances in GT2 racing, autonomous driving and the prospects of an electric future, which seems to be curving along the pragmatic path of co-existence rather than arriving at a full-electric line-up by 2028, contrary to world automotive media reports last year.
Maserati held a track day in early February, giving select Media an opportunity to drive the new GranTurismo and experience the new Maserati GT2 Stradale riding in the hot seat. A few minutes spent riding shotgun in the street-specked version of the GT2 race car offered a glimpse into how powerful and capable the fiery GT2 is. My chat with the Overseas Director of the brand had greater revelations. Petrolheads, brace for a pleasant surprise.…
Sudeep Koshy: Maserati is involved in recent landmark experiments in autonomous driving. Being a driver-centric and performance-oriented brand, what is the approach and attitude of Maserati towards autonomous technology?
“We have a range of cars that can be driven every day. Obviously, it is important for us to bring in technology – innovation – because as a high-end brand we need to innovate… That is why we are doing these developments with the Universities. I cannot tell you when we will have autonomous cars. We already have a lot of technologies in our cars. It is the step forward, and we will bring them on to the market when we will, and depending on the car – obviously, nobody wants it on the GT2 Stradale!” Philippe concludes with a smile and adds a great example to illustrate. “Quartz has not killed the traditional luxury of watches. Connected watches are super successful but still we all love to buy traditional watches, for its quality and craftsmanship.”
“Robot cars are for professional use. Safety cars on track or even school runs in a Maserati will benefit from advanced driving technologies verging on autonomy. But cars still remain objects that you drive for the pleasure of driving.”
Ah, the pleasure of driving – on cue, the enthusiast in me races the journo in me to an all-important question, with ill-concealed disappointment in my voice:
Sudeep Koshy: World media has reported last year that you are aiming for complete electrification by 2028, when every Maserati would be a ‘Folgore’. Are your fans ready for such an early shift?
Philippe’s next words in reply could have firebrand Maserati enthusiasts leaping for joy. “I think we have slowed down on this. Because we acknowledge that the pace of electrification of the market is not as quick as forecasted.”
That made unmistakably clear, Philippe turns to the issue of unequal markets, which poses a challenge for any brand planning on sweeping technological change. In 2023, 89% of new cars sold in Norway (as per European Environment Agency website) were electric followed by Sweden and Iceland at 61 and 60 per cent respectively. Elsewhere in Europe, for instance in Poland and Croatia, EV remained less than 5% of new registrations. “Probably three years ago, much of the car industry was convinced that electrification would come very quickly. It is not coming as quickly as expected, for many reasons … the price, the infrastructure, the regulations are changing. So we are taking a very pragmatic approach. We are lucky to have multi-energy platforms that can accommodate petrol engines and electric motors.”
The brand has a presence in nearly 70 countries, with varied velocities of EV adoption which could imply significantly greater investments for a manufacturer. So, Maserati has sensibly chosen to keep their strategy responsive to the market dynamics, by continuing to serve its customers with the option of an ICE engine alongside the targeted full-electrification plans. “We need to adapt. For now, we have the petrol engines. Today, the presentation of the GT2 Stradale is the perfect proof that we’ll keep on producing high performance engines.” Having been driven around the circuit in the GT2 Stradale just a little earlier, all I had to say was “sounds like a plan!” However, I had one more curious question for Philippe.
Maserati GT2 Stradale: V-Max: 324 kmph | 0 – 100 in 2.8 sec | 640 hp and 720 Nm | 3.0L twin turbo V6 engine | Rear Wheel Drive
Sudeep Koshy: How do you see Maserati loyalists respond to the option of petrol engines and electric?
“First of all, any Maserati is a Maserati; then comes the powerhouse. Whether you take a Maserati with a 2.0L turbo, a V6 Nettuno or the Folgore, they share the same sophistication – quality of interiors, quality of labour, luxury… they share the same road handling, the same precision when you drive them. Then obviously some of them are petrol engines, some of them are electric motors – but they behave the same. The acceleration is very good in both cases. This is really super important for us. Whatever the powerhouse, the drive has to be typically Maserati.”
We could still hear the Maserati GranTurismo and the GT2 Stradale thundering down Yas Marina Circuit, echoing the slogan of the track day – “born to race”. Maserati has their racing hopes pinned down on their new GT2.
Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo: V-Max: 320 kmph | 0 – 100 in 3.5 sec | 550 hp and 660 Nm | 3.0L twin turbo V6 engine | All Wheel Drive
Sudeep Koshy: Maserati racing is having a great year with the incredible performance in Race 1 at the Spa 24 hrs. How do you plan to retain and improve your pre-eminence in the July race?
Philippe: “We really were above the competition in GT2 racing. Difficult to make predictions but optimistic that they will be very competitive in the next year. When you have won the past championship, you have only one objective: win the following one.”
After those nail-biting moments in the GT2 Stradale earlier, I couldn’t but vouch for the optimism Philippe had for the next outing of the Maserati GT2. As for the future trajectory of the brand, Philippe sums it up nicely. “Yes, technology will grow. The question for us is how we integrate it and still deliver the experience the customer wants and we remain true to our brand.”
