New Maserati Grecale champions Fuoriserie program

The all-new 2023 Maserati Grecale has made a flying visit to Australia this week, showcasing the Maserati Fuoriserie personalisation program as a ‘Mission from Mars’ concept ahead of the mid-size SUV’s launch early next year.

Even without the radical show car add-ons, Maserati expects widespread adoption of its new personalisation program to add up to 30 per cent to the final pricing of its Australian deliveries.

Speaking at an event in Melbourne showcasing Maserati Fuoriserie, Maserati Australia boss Grant Barling told carsales the luxury Italian brand had already seen high engagement with the new atelier program via its first tranche of Maserati MC20 supercar buyers.

And customers for the upcoming all-new 2023 Maserati Grecale are also eager to personalise their cars.

“They [supercar and SUV] are different markets but we’re seeing many MC20 buyers option their cars to over $600K. In the case of the customers ordering the new Grecale SUV, we are seeing levels of personalisation running to about 30 per cent of the expected price,” Barling revealed.

The centrepiece of the Aussie media call and an owner and prospect event, the wildly coloured and fettled Grecale ‘Mission from Mars’ concept is a business card for the extreme end of the Maserati Fuoriserie program.

It includes features such as heavy window tinting that would preclude a so-specced customer car from being registered Down Under.

“We don’t expect anyone to modify their Grecale to this extent,” said Barling, referring to the ‘Mission from Mars’ show car.

“But we have had requests for the paint job and we’ve asked the factory for more details and potential pricing.”

The Maserati Grecale Fuoriserie ‘Mission from Mars’ features an almost matte Galactic Orange metallic paint “inspired by mineral dust”.

Special metal erosion processes are used on components inside and out.

It also gets bespoke tyres, heavy orange window tinting and special graphics including ‘star charts’ on the moonroof.

In pure production form, the new Grecale is aimed four-square at the Porsche Macan but will also take on the likes of the Mercedes-AMG GLC models.

Local pricing is still to be announced for the three grades of Grecale set to debut Down Under: GT, Modena and range-topping Trofeo.

carsales believes the model range will start around $120K for the turbo four-cylinder mild-hybrid GT.

The Trofeo version of the Grecale is tipped to be closer to $200K and will feature a version of the Nettuno 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that debuted in the 450kW-plus MC20 supercar.

Barling told carsales Maserati Australia had put its hand up for around 50 Grecales per month and anticipated that supply could be increased above that level.

At that sort of run rate, and despite the fact it’s likely to cannibalise some sales from the larger Maserati Levante SUV, Grecale will double the marque’s sales Down Under.

But Barling says Maserati will have a new approach to growth in the Aussie market, stating that in the past the brand had suffered from “too many demos” and that the focus would now be on building cars for confirmed customer orders instead of dealer stock.

Barling contends the pandemic period and production shortages have reshaped Australian new-car consumers’ expectations, opening the way for slightly longer wait times with the promise of more individual vehicles.

“They’re saying to us, ‘If we have to wait, we may as well get exactly what we want’ and via Maserati Fuoriserie we can oblige,” he said.

Via its personalisation program, Maserati offers a wide choice of colours and accoutrements, including “carbon-fibre options and interior treatments, through to wheel size and style”.

“Maserati Fuoriserie builds on this already high level of personalisation by offering full access to the artisans of Maserati’s design studio in Italy,” the company said in a statement.

With production for Australian-market Grecale models commencing in October, Barling says the first customer cars will arrive here early in 2023.

Normal option additions as outlined above are unlikely to impact delivery times, Barling suggested.

“Higher levels of personalisation such as custom paint will stretch that delivery time to an estimated six months,” he said.

In addition to the Grecale ‘Mission from Mars’, the Melbourne event saw Maserati Australia display two additional Fuoriserie models: a customer-ordered V8-engined Blu Inchiostro Maserati Ghibli Trofeo Fuoriserie and a strident Urban Green metallic Maserati Levante Trofeo Fuoriserie that will be offered for sale.

“We feel privileged to offer our customers an even greater opportunity to individualise their vehicle. The Fuoriserie program allows them to express themselves even more boldly, confidently and in a genuinely bespoke manner,” said Barling.

“It really elevates the relationship between Maserati and its family of owners to an even greater, more personal level.”