MOTORING NEWS - It was only in May 2016 that celebrations took place for the official return of Maserati to South Africa, with the soft-opening of their 16-car showroom and service facility in Bryanston, Johannesburg. Now Maserati has opened its second showroom in Jan Smuts Street, Cape Town.
The Italian luxury car manufacturer is showcasing its complete model line-up of the Ghibli, Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio ranges in South Africa, as well as the the Maserati Levante SUV when it launches locally in September this year. The Maserati Levante is an all-wheel-driven SUV which is already receiving rave reviews overseas.
In April 2016, Maserati announced the appointment of European Automotive Imports - South Africa (EAI-SA), a subsidiary of Maserati’s successful Australian importer EAI, as official Maserati importer. Previously, Viglietti Motors was the sole distributors of Maserati in SA, but have since been renamed Scuderia and their main objective is now Ferrari.
A land of opportunity
But why the South African expansion? Glen Sealey, chief operating officer of EAI’s Maserati operations had the following to say:
"South Africa is certainly a challenging market and one that is going to be exciting for us, but it now leaves us occupying Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, so we have a very strong relationship with Maserati. It’s an interesting market and it’s not going to be an easy market, maybe that’s why we have been chosen. We have a very good market share in Australia. We have a very well developed network, significant investment in the franchise and good people on the ground. We want to replicate that in South Africa with a South African team."
In April 2016, Maserati announced the appointment of European Automotive Imports - South Africa (EAI-SA), a subsidiary of Maserati’s successful Australian importer EAI, as official Maserati importer. Previously, Viglietti Motors was the sole distributors of Maserati in SA, but have since been renamed Scuderia and their main objective is now Ferrari.
A land of opportunity
But why the South African expansion? Glen Sealey, chief operating officer of EAI’s Maserati operations had the following to say:
"South Africa is certainly a challenging market and one that is going to be exciting for us, but it now leaves us occupying Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, so we have a very strong relationship with Maserati. It’s an interesting market and it’s not going to be an easy market, maybe that’s why we have been chosen. We have a very good market share in Australia. We have a very well developed network, significant investment in the franchise and good people on the ground. We want to replicate that in South Africa with a South African team."
“South Africa holds considerable potential for Maserati and offers a unique opportunity to expand our company into a growing market with a dynamic economy and an outstanding future. Our goal is to transform Maserati’s position in the South African market to offer a new benchmark for exclusivity and dedicated customer service supporting Maserati’s unique range of luxury performance cars. We have been very successful with Maserati in Australia and our appointment for South Africa is an outstanding vote of confidence and a clear acknowledgement that we have the people and the expertise to succeed.”
