Sales of Fiat's Maseratis jumped 20 per cent in the US last month and are up 16 per cent for the year to 1,353 vehicles, according to Autodata Corp. in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Sales of all luxury cars have dropped 15 per cent, and total vehicle sales are down 10 per cent.
The Grand Prix-inspired Maseratis serve a niche of buyers who want something more exotic than Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz, yet more affordable than Italian competitors Ferrari and Lamborghini, said Wes Brown, automotive analyst at Iceology, a Los Angeles-based market research firm.
"If you've got money, you want people to know you've got money, and people want to find something that not everybody has," Brown said. "They are saying, `I don't want a BMW or Mercedes, which you can see on every corner."
Ferraris, also produced by Turin, Italy-based Fiat, cost more than $210,000 and have a years-long waiting list, Ruggero Mango, a marketing analyst for the brand, said in January. Lamborghinis, made by Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen AG, start at $190,600.
Ferrari sales slumped 9 per cent in June and 3.9 per cent for the first half of the year, according to Autodata. Volkswagen didn't provide sales figures for Lamborghini.
Fueling Maserati's growth are new models and an expanded network of 54 US dealers, up from 32 six years ago, said Paul Faletti, vice president of sales at Maserati North America, based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Buyer Perceptions: Customers see Maserati as more exotic than its primary competitors, the Mercedes S-Class or Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's 7-series sedans, Faletti said.
"Our biggest challenge is familiarity," he said in an interview. "There is a perception in the marketplace that these cars are two or three times the price they really are."
The typical Maserati buyer is a 54-year-old male with household income of $750,000, Maserati spokesman Jeff Ehoodin said.
Pat and Ron Eastman, who live near San Jose, California, bought a 2007 Maserati Quattroporte sedan in February for $108,000, replacing a Mercedes S-Class.
"This car is basically for play," said Pat Eastman, a 56- year-old money manager. "It handles beautifully." Her husband, Ron, a 58-year-old venture capitalist, drives to work in a Toyota Motor Corp. Prius hybrid.
Fuel Economy: The 405-horsepower Maserati GranTurismo coupe has a top speed of 177 miles (285 kilometers) per hour, and accelerates from 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds. Its Ferrari-built V-8 engine gets 13 miles per gallon in the city and 19 on the highway, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The Quattroporte, with a list price starting at around $120,000, reaches 167 miles per hour and goes from 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds. It delivers 12 mpg in the city and 18 on the highway.
The manufacturer is required to pay a "gas guzzler" tax on the sale of each vehicle of $2,100 for the GranTurismo and $2,600 for the Quattroporte, according to the EPA.
Worldwide Maserati sales rose 33 per cent to about 7,500 cars last year, while sales in the US, its biggest market, climbed 21 per cent to 2,541, Ehoodin said.
Maserati turned profitable last year for the first time since Fiat bought the carmaker in 1993. The company may limit sales growth to maintain exclusivity, he said.
