Andrea Soriani, Maserati's North American GM, discusses the brand's transformative journey towards electrification while maintaining its Italian heritage. He emphasizes the importance of emotional connection and exclusivity in Maserati's offerings, particularly with the debut of the MC Pura. Soriani shares insights on balancing traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, the significance of customer feedback, and the future direction of Maserati in a competitive luxury market. The episode also features a replay of Klaus Bousset, Maserati's head of design, who elaborates on the brand's design philosophy and the impact of Italian culture on their vehicles.
"As electrification reshapes the luxury landscape, Maserati is determined to lead with emotion, staying true to its heritage while embracing innovation, design, and technology for a new generation."
Electrification means using electric power instead of gasoline to run cars. It's important because it helps reduce pollution and is becoming more common in new car designs.
Electrification refers to the process of transitioning from traditional internal combustion engines to electric powertrains. This shift is significant in the automotive industry as it aligns with global efforts to reduce emissions and promote sustainability.
"Clean design, high performance, very easy driving because it's all about balance."
High performance means the car is built to be really fast and handle well on the road. It usually has special features that make it more exciting to drive.
High performance refers to vehicles designed to deliver superior speed, handling, and overall driving experience. This is often achieved through advanced engineering and technology.
"We have improved the user interface, so the software and all the digital pages that you interact when you are in the car."
The user interface is how you control things in the car, like the navigation and music. A good user interface makes it easy to use these features.
The user interface in a car refers to the system that allows drivers to interact with various digital features, such as navigation, audio, and vehicle settings. A well-designed user interface enhances the driving experience.
"the spirit is the same as to build a Maserati that is extreme, that is extremely performing, but as I said, still a Maserati..."
Extreme performance means a car is built to be really fast and handle well, making it exciting to drive. These cars are often very advanced and powerful.
Extreme performance refers to vehicles designed to deliver exceptional speed, handling, and overall driving experience, often at the limits of automotive engineering.
"...new technologies have been in the EV industry, in high-end watches, fashion and so on..."
The EV industry is all about electric cars that run on batteries instead of gas. This part of the car market is growing fast as more people want to be eco-friendly.
The EV industry refers to the market segment focused on electric vehicles, which are powered by electricity instead of traditional gasoline or diesel engines. This industry has been rapidly growing due to increasing environmental concerns and advancements in battery technology.
"that we will keep offering internal combustion engines and our Fulgore version..."
An internal combustion engine is a machine that makes cars go by burning fuel like gasoline. It's the traditional type of engine used in most cars.
An internal combustion engine is a type of engine that generates power by burning fuel within the engine itself. This technology has been the standard for automobiles for over a century.
An electric vehicle, or EV, is a car that uses electricity to run instead of gas. They are better for the environment and can save money on fuel.
An electric vehicle (EV) is a car that runs on electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. EVs are known for being more environmentally friendly and often have lower operating costs.
"you can choose between Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio, internal combustion or electric..."
The Maserati Gran Turismo is a luxury sports car that looks great and drives fast. It has a powerful engine and a comfortable interior, perfect for those who love driving in style.
The Maserati Gran Turismo is a luxury sports car known for its elegant design and powerful performance. It combines a high-performance engine with a luxurious interior, making it a favorite among enthusiasts.
"you can choose between Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio, internal combustion or electric..."
The Maserati Gran Cabrio is a fancy convertible car that lets you enjoy driving with the top down. It has a strong engine and a beautiful design.
The Maserati Gran Cabrio is a luxury convertible that offers an exhilarating open-air driving experience. It features a powerful engine and elegant styling, making it a standout in the Maserati lineup.
"we have decided to keep DMC only with our Netuno V6 engine, our proprietary engine..."
The Netuno V6 engine is a special engine made by Maserati. It's designed to be powerful and efficient, and it's used in several Maserati cars.
The Netuno V6 engine is a proprietary engine developed by Maserati, known for its performance and versatility. It is used in various Maserati models, providing a balance of power and efficiency.
"the heart on pretty much every Maserati from Greccale to Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio..."
The Maserati Grecale is a stylish luxury SUV made by Maserati. It offers a mix of performance and comfort, with powerful engines and modern features.
The Maserati Grecale is a luxury SUV that combines performance with Italian design. It features a range of powerful engines and advanced technology, making it a versatile option in the Maserati lineup.
"it's interesting because in 1957 one Manuel Fangio... won the Formula One championship"
Formula One is a top-level racing competition where cars race on tracks around the world. It's known for fast cars and skilled drivers.
The Formula One championship is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars. It features a series of races known as Grands Prix, held on various circuits around the world.
"it's interesting because in 1957 one Manuel Fangio... won the Formula One championship with the mighty Maserati 250F"
The Maserati 250F is a famous race car from the 1950s that won many races, including the Formula One championship. It's recognized for being fast and well-built.
The Maserati 250F is a legendary Formula One racing car that was highly successful in the late 1950s. It is known for its advanced engineering and performance, contributing to Maserati's reputation in motorsport.
"It's precision, it's engineering, it's owning something unique. It's a fulfillment of a personal desire, success or something."
Precision engineering means making parts very accurately so they fit and work well together. In cars, this is important for making sure everything runs smoothly and safely.
Precision engineering refers to the design and manufacturing of components to very tight tolerances, ensuring high performance and reliability. This is crucial in automotive design, where even small deviations can affect performance and safety.
"It's social status. It's the pleasure of owning something unique. It's mechanical."
Mechanical means anything that has to do with machines or moving parts. In cars, it describes how the engine and other parts work together to make the car move.
The term 'mechanical' refers to anything related to machinery or mechanical systems. In automotive contexts, it often describes the workings of engines, transmissions, and other components that involve moving parts.
"...ber of reviewers and critics who've said that the MC20, just as the latest example, is a Maserati master..."
The Maserati MC20 is a fancy sports car that is really fast and powerful, made by the Italian car company Maserati. It was introduced in 2020 and is known for its stylish look and high-tech features, making it a big deal among car enthusiasts.
The Maserati MC20 is a high-performance sports car that represents a significant return to form for the Maserati brand, featuring a twin-turbocharged V6 engine and cutting-edge technology. Launched in 2020, it showcases Maserati's commitment to luxury and performance, with a design that emphasizes aerodynamics and driver engagement. The MC20 has received acclaim for its driving dynamics and is seen as a key model in Maserati's revival.
"having circumvented the Daimler Chrysler Fiat Chrysler Stellantis changes, and still thrived."
Stellantis is a big car company that owns many brands, like Chrysler and Peugeot. It was created when two companies merged together.
Stellantis is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group. It encompasses a wide range of automotive brands, including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Peugeot, and Citroën.
"Klaus Bousset has designed interiors for Ram trucks and exteriors for Maserati sports cars."
Ram is a brand that makes trucks and vans. They are known for being tough and reliable, often used for work or towing.
Ram is a brand of trucks and vans that is part of Stellantis. Known for their durability and performance, Ram vehicles are popular among consumers looking for reliable work trucks and personal vehicles.
Car
Pontiac Torino
"..., but perhaps having an espresso at the piazza in Torino and looking at dress and fashion. And tell me how..."
Pontiac was a car brand from America that made some really cool and fast cars, especially in the 1960s and 70s. They were known for their sporty designs and powerful engines, but the brand stopped making cars in 2010.
Pontiac was an American automobile brand that was part of General Motors, known for producing sporty and performance-oriented vehicles. It gained popularity in the mid-20th century with models like the GTO and Firebird, which became icons of American muscle cars. The brand was discontinued in 2010, but it remains significant in automotive history for its contributions to performance and style.
"let's say the S class, the flagship, they would always make sure they show you the previous generations because always an evolution into one direction, the pursuit of perfection."
The S-Class is a top-of-the-line luxury car from Mercedes-Benz. It's famous for being very comfortable and packed with the latest technology.
The S-Class is a flagship luxury sedan produced by Mercedes-Benz, known for its high level of comfort, advanced technology, and performance. It represents the pinnacle of the brand's engineering and design philosophy.
"And now coming to Italy, Italy has had an interesting journey with car design because the Italians, when I spoke, for example, with Giorgetto Giugiaro that some of you might know that name, the probably most famous car designer in the world."
Giorgetto Giugiaro is a famous car designer from Italy. He has designed many well-known cars that people recognize and admire.
Giorgetto Giugiaro is an Italian automotive designer known for creating iconic car designs for various manufacturers, including the Volkswagen Golf and the DeLorean DMC-12. His work has significantly influenced automotive styling.
"...Chrysler was known for the Crossfire and the 300. Fantastic products, cool products, American products..."
The Chrysler Crossfire is a sporty car made by Chrysler between 2003 and 2007. It has a distinctive look and was partly built using parts from another car made by Mercedes-Benz.
The Chrysler Crossfire is a sports car that was produced from 2003 to 2007. It features a unique design and was developed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, sharing some components with the Mercedes-Benz SLK.
"So there was Volkswagen on one side, there was Mercedes on the other side. But honestly, at that time, it was all about me learning from the best and trying to become a designer."
Volkswagen is another well-known car brand from Germany. They make many different types of cars, including some very popular models like the Beetle and Golf.
Volkswagen is a German automaker known for producing a wide range of vehicles, including the iconic Beetle and Golf. The brand emphasizes practicality and efficiency in its designs.
"...there's a different approach and understanding of car culture. A big difference between USA and Germany, for example."
Car culture is how people in different places feel about cars and how they use them. It includes things like car shows, racing, and the lifestyle that comes with owning a car.
Car culture refers to the social and cultural aspects surrounding automobiles, including how they are perceived, used, and celebrated in different societies. It encompasses everything from car shows and racing to the lifestyle choices associated with vehicle ownership.
"...I could put extra spoilers, extra air intakes, and a lot of edges and decorative elements..."
Air intakes are parts of a car that let air in, usually to help the engine work better or to keep it cool. They are important for how well the car performs.
Air intakes are openings in a vehicle's body that allow air to flow into the engine or cooling systems. They play a crucial role in engine performance and cooling efficiency, impacting how well a car runs.
"...do I really want to create this kind of attention that sometimes can be negative? Or do I create a car...that tries to avoid spoilers..."
Spoilers are parts added to cars to help them stay stable and not lift off the ground when going fast. They help the car grip the road better.
Spoilers are aerodynamic devices attached to a vehicle to improve its stability and reduce lift at high speeds. They can enhance performance by helping the car grip the road better during fast driving.
"...in order to ensure that the downforce on the MC20 was sufficient for the vehicle without adding a spoiler."
Downforce is a force that helps keep a car on the ground when it's going fast. It makes the car more stable and helps it turn better, especially in sports cars.
Downforce is the aerodynamic force that pushes a vehicle down towards the road, increasing traction and stability at high speeds. It is crucial for performance cars to maintain control during aggressive driving.
"...we did the car real time with aerodynamics and then allowed us to design the car like a wing. For example, if you want interesting detail, if you look at the section of the wheel arches..."
Aerodynamics is how air flows around cars. Good aerodynamics helps cars go faster and use less fuel by reducing air resistance.
Aerodynamics refers to the way air moves around objects, particularly vehicles. In automotive design, optimizing aerodynamics can improve performance, fuel efficiency, and stability by reducing drag and increasing downforce.
"...what if we would go electric. What if sound, the engine sound would go away. Electric cars still produce some sound that they have to do for legal reasons..."
Electric cars run on electricity instead of gasoline or diesel. They are better for the environment because they produce no exhaust emissions while driving.
Electric cars are vehicles that are powered entirely or primarily by electricity, rather than traditional fossil fuels. They are becoming increasingly popular due to their environmental benefits and advancements in battery technology.
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The automobile is one of the most important inventions that revolutionize the modern world.
In America, the rich history of car culture runs deep.
This technology continues to shape the future of the industry.
Jason Stein is here to share the stories of people passionate about cars,
from industry leaders and innovators to car-obsessed celebrities.
Buckle up as Jason takes you inside the boardroom, onto the track,
and around the bend, on Cars and Culture on SiriusXM Business Radio.
We welcome you into episode 223 of Cars and Culture with Jason Stein,
here on SiriusXM Business Channel 132.
Great to have you along for the ride again this week.
There are few brands in the world that evoke pure passion quite like Maserati,
a name born on the racetracks of Modena and built on decades of Italian craftsmanship,
performance, and unmistakable design.
But today, Maserati finds itself in the middle of one of the most transformative moments in its history.
A reinvention, not just of product, but of purpose.
As electrification reshapes the luxury landscape, Maserati is determined to lead with emotion,
staying true to its heritage while embracing innovation, design, and technology for a new generation.
At the center of that transformation is one of Maserati's most important global markets,
and it's led by Andrea Soriani, general manager of Maserati North America,
a leader who understands that the soul of Maserati,
that feeling when sound, style, and speed converge,
must evolve without ever losing its Italian heartbeat.
Maserati is writing a bold new chapter, and Andrea is at the center.
It's about redefining luxury, rekindling emotion,
and reigniting a brand that still stands for exclusivity and character in a crowded market.
So what does it take to balance the artistry of Maserati's past with the technology of its future,
and how is the brand connecting with a new audience,
one that values performance and passion, but also sustainability and sophistication?
Today, we explore that story through the eyes of its North American leader,
here on Cars and Culture.
Hi, good morning. I'm Andrea Soriani, and walking in Pebble Beach, Cars and Culture with
Jason Stein.
What a pleasure to be with you here on the concept line.
Thank you for being with us.
I know it's your Maserati.
Right, and it's your two decades that you've been here.
It is my Concorde elegance number 20.
Wow, congratulations.
I've seen a lot of changes, a lot of phenomenal products,
but the new one for us is always the best one.
The new one is all right. The latest is always the best.
Exactly.
Yeah, maybe you can just talk a little bit about the significance of the vehicle and
really what Maserati hoped to get out of this experience here this year by showing the vehicle here.
Well, first of all, this is technically the North American debut of our MC Pura.
MC Pura in Italian is very easy to understand. Pura means pure.
It's a quintessential spirit of a Maserati.
Clean design, high performance, very easy driving because it's all about balance.
Every Maserati is built around the driver.
We took the best from the MC 20.
We took a lot of experience and learnings we have made with our GT2 racing in Europe,
and we have further improved the MC 20 to the MC Pura.
So in the car you see here, you will see a different front fissure,
so better air flow and aerodynamics, a couple of minor changes also on the side of the car.
Improvements and changes in the interior starting from Alcantara dashboard inserts
and seats, new steering wheel, again Alcantara with essential racing material.
We have improved the user interface, so the software and all the digital pages that you
interact when you are in the car. And last but not least, this car is going to be numbered
only 130 units will make it to the U.S. and Canada, so North American markets.
We don't have a split between the Coupe and the Siro, but we decided to keep the
Doran limited to give something special to our clients.
That's what I was going to ask you. You just keep it very tight in terms of the inventory on it
so that it obviously you want this to like the MC 20 to serve as a halo for the brand.
How important has that been for you? Starting from the, you mentioned the MC
20, sorry the MC 12. MC 12 hit a record price at the auction a few days ago.
And definitely not all cars will go up in value, let's be honest, but we believe that the MC
is the here is the son, the daughter of the MC 12. The spirit is the same as to build a Maserati
that is extreme, that is extremely performing, but as I said, still a Maserati with a clean design,
with a very well balanced and at the end very easy to drive because what makes Maserati
is really being a great tourism. You've been almost a year in your position.
What have you learned in the over the course of that last nine months and how are you applying
your own thinking to the brand? Well, let me say, I like to say that I'm a certified pre-owned
to Maserati. You are. I've been with the company for many years, then I decided to go
and see the world, let me put it this way. 16 years before, right? Pretty much between
Italy and US, then I decided to go see the world and that was good because I learned a lot about
our industries and new technologies have been in the EV industry, in high-end watches, fashion and
so on. Coming back, I realized even more that Maserati is a highly emotional product and you
need to build a disconnection with your client. So I found a very good team, highly motivated
and highly enthusiastic about the car and my goal is to try to transfer this emotion, this feelings
first to my dealers because the dealers are my first clients. Right. And then to my final client.
So working closer to the dealers, having clear vision programs about the future and then going
closer to the clients to make sure that we are transferring the emotions that drive us every
morning in the office to the clients. What I like about the brand is that all my clients that tell
me, oh, you know, I have a special feeling, I have a special, it's something special about the car
and it's not really about the exclusivity but it's about, it's something romantic,
there is something really special and this is what I think motivates a lot of our clients and
we are trying to make more people part of this family. What are your clients telling you and
maybe what are the new potential clients telling you about where the brand is now and what's
drawing them to the brand because Maserati has a certain culture and it has a feeling and it
has a passion behind it and maybe the road kind of went a little bit left and a little bit
right. Our road was probably not linear but I can tell you, you know, someone said that a sports car
is when your heart is racing, your palms are sweating and A to B is a straight line.
Gran Turismo is when A to B is an arabesque. You take the longest routes because it's an
excuse to drive. So with Maserati we still want to give you an excuse to take the longest routes
to drive with you and with your family because you know, super sports cars you drive alone.
Maserati, you always have someone with you, it's something to share and this is what our
clients keep telling us. Maserati is giving me an excuse to take the car and drive and
we want something again that you can share because it's the quintessential Gran Turismo.
Right, right. Where will we see the brand continuing to grow in the future? Where's the
pathway? The pathway to consideration. In terms of power trade, we have made it clear
that we will keep offering internal combustion engines and our Fulgore version, Fulgore is our
EV line. Right. Also the good news is that you can choose between Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio,
internal combustion or electric and the design is exactly the same so you don't have to
compromise on design or on anything. We have decided to keep DMC only with
our Netuno V6 engine, our proprietary engine, and by the way, now the Netuno
is the heart on pretty much every Maserati from Greccale to Gran Turismo, Gran Cabrio
and DMC is a very versatile and capable engine and can be good for SUVs where you need torque
and elasticity all the way up to sheer power of DMC extrema. But I was saying the future is keep
building cars that the market is asking. We are not forcing a power train to our clients
or to the market to our dealers and second HQ is currently working on a new range of products
that will come hopefully soon. I have to give you an excuse to come to see me.
For the 21st Pebble Beach. For the 21st Pebble Beach or maybe Los Angeles this evening.
This evening, sorry this winter. So I need to give you an excuse to come back. I can tell you
everything now but definitely HQ is working to new products and we have an exciting future ahead.
Excellent. You have an exciting future and you also have a relatively new boss speaking of HQ
how is how is he changing Stellantis and the trajectory of the brand?
Well I know it's early. It's just arrived. It's early. He's working closely with all the brands.
He's definitely a car guy. Yes. So we are all expecting a lot of help from him.
Yeah, no that's great. And great guidance and leadership and direction. Yeah, yeah.
Let's continue talking a little bit about the vehicle that's here and what are your
favorite pieces of what has been put together here? What strikes you the most?
The design and I'll tell you why. I think that a lot of cars today are over designs.
Not necessarily in a bad way. Sometimes extreme performance requires extreme design.
Maserati still gives you a very high performance but the design is simple. It's clean.
Nothing in this car has been added that is not functional but is still very,
very clean, very simple, pure as the name Pura also suggests. But also this is
something very consistent in all our products. We still believe in clean, simple, elegant design.
Our direction is not for building flashy elements or components that are not necessarily needed
to the driving dynamics. How will you market this vehicle? I guess you might not have to
if you only have a limited number of units but how will you use it to market Maserati?
I would say that this is the quintessential Maserati. Beautiful design, great details,
phenomenal handling, perfect balance, easy to drive but it's going to be the most comfortable
super sport car you will drive. I've seen a bunch of your material here at Pebble Beach that lands
at the hotel, at the base of the door of my hotel room, leaflets and marketing material
all about Maserati. You are trying to spread the word. I think Maserati is still the
best-kept secret to be honest. A lot of people are afraid of the brand, they think oh
it's unattainable, it's too much for me, it's too sporty, it's too complicated. Maserati is the
perfect sporty exclusive Gran Turismo daily drive and as I said I think it's still the best-kept
secret. With all of your years on the brand, how has the brand changed and maybe how have
you changed with the brands? Well I got some gray hair. The brand is still the spirit that I found
when they joined the company, well I'm not saying how many years ago. It's resilient,
there is something special, there is also a feeling of belonging and this is what
a lot of clients are telling us. It's a sense of belonging, it's really unique and
it's interesting because in 1957 one Manuel Fangio, you know, you're talking about culture,
right? And Fangio in 1957 won the Formula One championship with the mighty Maserati 250F
and years later they were asking him about his racing experience, different brands,
cars and he said you know I raced with many brands, many cars, teams and they were all great but
I always had a special connection with Maserati. Not only cars were fast, reliable,
very well engineered but I felt home and this is what also a lot of clients are telling us,
they feel a sense of belonging and it's probably the reason also that drove my return to the brand.
Right, right. It's kind of feeling home to me. I was going to ask you that, it brought you back in
and I know you tried to get out of the auto industry. I tried to leave automotive at all,
I couldn't, I couldn't. Why? You know, what's the poll? Well the reason to leave is that
you know better than me that automotive is the most complicated business and kudos to
my colleagues around the world. Yeah. It's complicated because you know design, engineering,
homologation, pollution, safety, you are on the hook for the new, pre-owned, finance,
residual value. It never ends. It will never, never ends. If you sell a nice watch,
you sell the watch and pretty much you are good, you know, then you just need to
get the client back and sell them something else. With automotive you are always on the hook so
I tried to leave but I couldn't because again to me it's passion. It's not just you know going to
the office and your daily routine. It's pure passion and I think it's very easy to get
this kind of passion if you have products like this. It's interesting. We've had watch
collectors on my show. We've had all walks of industry that are not automotive but everybody
all wants to talk about automotive. They all want to talk about the passion behind it, the creativity
behind it, the complexity behind it and you can have a beautiful watch but the connection,
the connection and the motivation is the same. It's precision, it's engineering,
it's owning something unique. It's a fulfillment of a personal desire, success or something.
It's social status. It's the pleasure of owning something unique. It's mechanical.
Something you can, the interaction believe it or not on a different scale is very similar
and it is still something alive, something ticking inside. Same as your engine and as your car.
So clients are very very similar and the motivation is exactly the same.
Well congratulations on what you've done here. Thank you. This is for their 20th anniversary.
This is the perfect gift for you to give to the industry. We will have more more news
to talk about. More exciting news or again I need to give you an excuse to come back next year.
I will. I will. I will. I will. You have to come back next year to learn more.
Mila Grazi. Prego. Thank you so much for telling me. It was a pleasure. Thank you.
After the break I'll continue the show with a replay of my 59th guest on the program,
Maserati VP of Design Klaus Smuse. To see the full interview with Andrea visit the
Cars and Culture YouTube channel. Subscribe, comment and check out hundreds of conversations
with the creators, collectors and culture makers who are driving the industry forward.
The automobile is one of the most important inventions that revolutionize the modern world.
In America the rich history of car culture runs deep as technology continues to shape
the future of the industry. Jason Stein, former publisher of automotive news,
is here to share the stories of people passionate about cars from industry leaders
and innovators to car obsessed celebrities. Buckle up as Jason takes you inside the
boardroom, onto the track and around the bend on Cars and Culture on SiriusXM Business Radio.
Welcome to SiriusXM's Cars and Culture. I'm Jason Stein in Detroit.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown of a keeper of an icon,
and the designer crown is likely weighty when you're Klaus Buse,
the man placed in charge of working with his talented team of designers to
set a direction that is Maserati. Maserati is Italy. Maserati is a statement,
and Maserati was in need of a design recharge, and if the latest products are any example,
the direction coming from Klaus and his team is directly pointed at a rebirth.
There are a healthy number of reviewers and critics who've said that the MC20,
just as the latest example, is a Maserati masterpiece, a stunner in many ways.
Nicely done. You give it the input, it does exactly what you told me.
Welcome to the episode of Jail's Garage, the car we're featuring today, the 2022 Maserati MC20,
a really good-looking car. And I'm a big fan of this, Mark. If you've been to this website
before, you've seen my 1962 Maserati, and these two actually have a lot in common. You can
see the family resemblance. The kind of momentum coming out of the MC20
is positioning the iconic brand into many conversations that we're lacking over the last
few years. There is a sense that Maserati is returning to its rightful place in the automotive
hierarchy. It's a survivor, which is appropriate given that its lead designer is also a survivor
of sorts. He has navigated the twists and turns of the automotive world better than most,
having circumvented the Daimler Chrysler Fiat Chrysler Stellantis changes, and still thrived.
Actually, he's used all those adventures as moments to learn, adapt, understand, and appreciate the
cultural experiences. Klaus Bousset has designed interiors for Ram trucks and exteriors for Maserati
sports cars. He's lived in Michigan and in Turin. He's also appreciated his mentors and
teachers and absorbed all aspects of cars and culture along the way, rising to a level
that has him putting his mark on a legend. Today, we sit down with Klaus for a conversation
about the direction of the brand, his excitement for EVs, and his own passion and ambition for
car design in general. Maserati's keeper of the design flame, an avid sneaker collector,
Formula One admirer, and a talented leader. Hello, my name is Klaus Bousset, and this
is Cars and Culture with Jason Stein. If I could imagine being a car designer, I'd want to
be tall and cool and have a German accent and live in Italy working on Maserati's. Since I'm not
any of that, Klaus, I'll just ask what it's like to be Klaus Bousset. Well, what an intro. I don't
know where to start on that opening. Let me put it this way. What is it like to be the
head of design for Maserati? It's an absolute dream. It's a burden, it's a responsibility,
but above all, it's a childhood dream come true because Maserati was certainly one of those brands
that's been with me since I grew up, from the Shamads and the Bitubos in the 80s when I was a
teenager. So to be here in Italy and actually having an input in the future of this amazing
brand is an absolute dream. What is the adjustment like to living in Italy? You lived in North
America for 10 years, obviously grew up in Germany, and I want to get into some of your
history. But now that you have been immersed in the Italian culture for several years now,
I know that's had an impact on you. And in fact, you've said a lot of your inspiration doesn't
necessarily come from looking at cars on the street, but perhaps having an espresso at the
piazza in Torino and looking at dress and fashion. And tell me how it's inspiring you.
How is Italy changing you as a designer? You know, what you're referring to is an
important point. You know, you're speaking about the piazzas and me trying to absorb or having tried
to absorb the Italian culture. The reason that's relevant is this is my third physical location
to work as a designer after Germany and North America. And I think one of the biggest challenges
for international designers like me is to make sure that we represent also the culture of
where we come from. Now, some brands might elect not to do that, but the brands I've had
the pleasure to work with, whether it was Mercedes, but also, you know, brands like Jeep in the US.
It's so important that they represent where they come from. So in the case of Maserati,
of course, is a very Italian luxury brand. So for me, it was very important over the last
seven years to fully immerse myself in the Italian culture to understand what makes
an Italian design Italian, but beyond just car design, the full culture. And that's why
we're coming back to your point. That's why it has been and continues to be such an important
part to just sit at the piazza, have an espresso, or napoletivo. And what I love about when you say,
I like to watch what people are wearing. I'll give you an example of how I would compare Italy to
Germany. I'm going to jump over the US. When you tell my friends in Germany that blue is the
color of the year, they will wear a blue suit. When you tell the Italians that blue is the
color of the year, they will wear blue socks. So there's much more creativity in fashion and such
so much more self confidence in how they wear it. So for me, it's an absolute pleasure
to observe that and to apply that to design. So beyond socks and statements that are different
than the rest of the world, what else have you learned being immersed there?
How is Italy different? And how does that apply from a cultural aspect to everything that you
do on vehicles? Well, you know, in Germany, vehicle design is a very progressive business.
There's the pursuit of perfection. When a brand like Mercedes would launch a new vehicle,
let's say the S class, the flagship, they would always make sure they show you the previous
generations because always an evolution into one direction, the pursuit of perfection.
When you go to America, America historically has been very much about style, but
even going beyond cars, American design has been very much about honest approach,
honest use of material, whether it's the Eames chair where wood is not decoration,
but wood is the chair, the airstream trailer where aluminum is the trailer, not just
decoration. And now coming to Italy, Italy has had an interesting journey with car design
because the Italians, when I spoke, for example, with Giorgetto Giugiaro that
some of you might know that name, the probably most famous car designer in the world.
And I talked to him, I said, so what's Italian design for you? And he laughed at me. He said,
there is no Italian designer. And I challenged him. But what he then explained for me is what
Italian design is because he told me that Italian design is about during the best
you can do in that moment. You don't look back, you only look forward.
But what that created is, and you can take any Italian brand, especially when you look at the
dramatic change from the 60s to the 70s. In the 60s, you had these beautiful sculptured,
hand sculpted cars. And then there was this incredible break to the 70s when suddenly
the surface became flat and they did all this kept forward rear engine wedge design.
There was the Gandinis, the Giugiaros, etc. So to be able to say, well, look at this,
in 1968, we had the most beautiful car ever. But you guess what? We're not going to build
on that. We're going to completely ignore that and throw that away and do something completely
radically different. This kind of audacity, this courage to always live in the moment
and not look back that very much Italian design for me.
So well said. So where is Italian design today? Not just from a Maserati standpoint,
but from a holistic standpoint? So I think what you see from us here in Italy,
Maserati or other branches, I think we moved a little bit ahead from this approach that our
predecessors use in terms of completely ignoring the heritage and what we were built on and
always doing something completely fresh, because that created a dramatic inconsistency
in the storytelling. And the reality is, while that is fascinating looking back, but
commercially it's not necessarily the recipe to success, because our customers, and I don't
mean the customers will be Italian cars, I mean us humans in general, we just happen to be a
species that prefers certain level of consistency. You can check that every time there's a new
song on the radio, you try to connect it to another song you've heard. Every time a new car launches,
every time the comments will start, oh, it looks like this, it looks like that.
And that's not necessarily meant negatively, it just helps everyone to ground the new, what they see.
And that also helps with commercial success. So if you completely throw away what you've
done five years ago, you always have to force the customer to completely reacquaint, relearn
the design language of the brand. And that is not necessarily the right thing to do.
So I think what you see in coming now from Italy, we still have this beautiful approach
to design that it's not necessarily all just one way evolution, maybe what you see in the
northern countries. There's still the appetite for experimentation, there's still the appetite
to mix latest technology, but also with hand sculpture. After all, it's the country of
Michelangelo, but also Leonardo Vingy, who created art as almost byproduct of science.
But at the same time, I think we are stepping more considerably in terms of not to put off
our customer every time we're showing a new car. It's almost an oxymoron, a German designing
Italian cars, stern versus sexy, over engineered versus past the Cappuccino. How does that jive?
So, you know, we're living in a society where you call me German because I carry a German passport
and I was born in Germany. What I would say, I left Germany what is now probably 17, 18 years
ago. If you add my studies in England, even longer, I lived more than 20 years outside Germany.
And so I would say, yes, I grew up in Germany and of course grew up in that kind of culture.
And I have to admit, every four years when it's World Cup time, it's all about Germany,
I have to admit. But if we ignore football for a moment or soccer for a moment,
I consider myself a global citizen. I had to design German cars in Germany, I had to
design American products in the US, and now I'm designing Italian products. And honestly,
I also learned that in the US, I think us international designers who come into a
different country to design a product. It's not just me, there's many examples.
We have this incredible advantage of looking at the brand from the outside coming.
If I look back and to, you know, all the way back to 2005 when I came to the US,
and I had the chance to work on, let's say, Chrysler product. At that time in Germany,
Chrysler was known for the Crossfire and the 300. Fantastic products, cool products,
American products. And then you come to the US and you realize that for a lot of people in
the US, Chrysler did not have the same glow and excitement that it had for me coming from Germany.
So what I was able to do is infuse a lot of self-confidence into the design team,
reminding them on what an amazing brand they're working at. So fast forward to you to Italy.
You know, of course, when you come to Italy, which is a country, it's been all about design.
There were indeed a couple of headlines in some magazines about the fact that there's
now a German in charge of the design. But number one, design is a team sport. It's never really
about just who leads the design. It's always the whole team. But even if you look at the team,
it's a very international team. But you have to remind yourself, there's another
incredibly important iconic cultural relevant Italian product. It's the espresso. And guess what?
There's not a single Italian espresso bean in the espresso. The espresso beans come from
around the world. It's the process that was invented in Italy that creates the espresso.
So the way I look at us as design, including myself, we are the Kiki di caffè, which is
Italian for coffee beans. And we come from around the world, but we respect, we study,
and we apply the Italian design process. And that allows us still to create iconic Italian
design. You grew up near Braunschweig. You went to the Hochschule Braunschweig,
which most people in North America might not know, is in the backyard of Volkswagen.
Correct. Did you want to work for Volkswagen as a designer?
You know what? I don't think I can say yes or no. I would say Braunschweig for me was
one of many steps to understand my right of existence as a creative person.
Prior to that, I had tried free arts at a free art school for a year. Prior to that,
I did internships at the graphic design agency. And Braunschweig was predominantly
a product design, industrial design course. So at that moment, I wasn't even sure that
that car design was going to be my destiny. What happened though is, just like you say,
Braunschweig is in the backyard of Wolfsburg of Volkswagen, and they were offering a design
course dedicated to the car. And at that moment, I had the chance to actually meet
Klaus Bischoff, who then went on to become the head of design for the Volkswagen group.
And at that time, he was a junior designer helping with the students. But it was my first
interaction with one of the grades of the industry who would later then move on to
into his current role. And then the flirt started and the understanding and the passion
started about car design. But parallel at that time, through another coincidence, I also
had a chance to take a peek into Mercedes-Benz design through an internship at the same time.
So there was Volkswagen on one side, there was Mercedes on the other side. But honestly,
at that time, it was all about me learning from the best and trying to become a designer.
The passion at that time was still in my bedroom, the Lamborghini Quntaj on the wall,
or of course, Maserati as the brand. You had the opportunity to learn at the right hand of your
first boss, we call Maurer at Mercedes-Benz and actually Motor Trend in 2020 put you on the
list of 50 key players in the auto industry, the power list as they called it. And there
was Mr. Maurer and there you were. That had to be an enormous accomplishment to end up next to
your first boss who I'm sure taught you a tremendous amount about this business.
You know what? Let's start with these lists. I have still no idea why I qualify to be on such a
list. But regardless, I take this always as a compliment to my team because I firmly believe
in this as a team sport. So any award or list that has me listed or awarded personally
for me is just a representation of the team. I wish these lists would include full teams or
they would give awards to full teams. But more importantly, I think you're hitting an important
point. I mentioned Klaus Bischoff earlier who I met in Braunschweig and Michael Mauer
who now is head of Porsche. As a matter of fact, he also at one point was the head of
design for the whole Volkswagen group. So again, I had the incredible opportunity
to have as my first boss such a talented guy. And what Michael told me is not only to
continue the passion of design and apply to Mercedes-Benz, but his leadership style.
A leadership style of family, of being friends, not of going, clocking in in the morning,
checking back out in the evening. That's it. It was truly a life beyond, you know,
eight to five. You know, if you become a designer, it is your life. It is your work. And that's
something that Michael was really able to convey. But as you probably know, I went on to work again
with other amazing people, Rav Gilles, my current boss, global design boss, and also best friend.
Also learned so much from him as a mentor. Because you said earlier, when a German comes
to Italy, I would take that historically back to when the German came to the U.S.
Because at that time I came there as a Mercedes expert, and I was still very German at that time.
And Ralph not only deduced me to what is really American design, but he also helped me become
to adopt to the American style of management and leading a design team. So I think
I probably owe him the most of all the people I interacted with.
Yeah, we've had Ralph on this program who was a remarkable interview and a remarkable person
in general. Let's talk about your work at Maserati. For me, it starts and ends with
one of your latest products with the MC20. You said it was an amazing honor to touch
that machine. What are you most proud of with the MC20? Which, by the way,
turns heads at every opportunity when it's on the road.
You know what? It's interesting you asked that. Pride does not come to mind when I think about
the MC20. It is an endless amount of gratitude and a certain level of relief mixed with maybe
satisfaction that we were able to deliver a product that I think is reviewed from people
other than me or my team. People look at this objectively, viewed as something that
very much fits the line of Maserati and it's going to be a car that will be talked about long
after I'm gone and my team are gone and will appear in concordial agonist and will go into
collections. And this is something Jason, I cannot stretch for you and your listeners
or viewers on YouTube, this kind of responsibility because you can imagine when someone says,
well, first of all, you get a chance at leading Maserati design in itself as a
responsibility. But then when first there's the rumors and there's first conversations and then
suddenly it becomes official that we're going back to designing the super sports car.
There is a moment of joy, but I guarantee you Jason, it didn't last longer than maybe half a day
because then this weight on your shoulder comes in because you're realizing this is not a car
for a three-year lease contract. This is a car, again, they're going to speak about in 50 years,
maybe beyond that. And this responsibility still sends shivers down my spine. And when I say,
when I see all the love and the respect we're getting for the car,
yes, they're awards, most beautiful cars in many, many countries. But more importantly,
the love I get directly versus your social media from the customers on Instagram, for example,
that just means so much. But like I said, pride is not the word that comes to mind. It's
really more of a relief. And I'm so happy for my team to have able to conquer this big mountain.
Klaus, I want to go back to something that you said a moment ago. You said
you're designing a future collector's car if you're designing a Maserati. And you have said
that that in itself is a monstrosity of a responsibility on your shoulders.
So I'm assuming you sleep at night, but you're probably you're probably left awake in many nights
too. Yeah, you know, Jason, it is again, coming back to the power of the team. I am not a dictator,
a design dictator. You know, the reason I can actually, most of the nights sleep well is
simply because I sit down with my team and we harvest this energy and the knowledge of
the team because I was able to surround myself with incredible talented people in all my steps
of my career. And I think that really made us strong as a team. And so what we do is,
in the particular case of the MC20, I wouldn't say we talked more than we sketched,
but there was there was a good balance towards the conversation that we had amongst as a team
because any Maserati, but mostly with a car like the MC20, we had to solve in our head,
what do we need to do to elevate the brand? Because this is more than just a car. It's
a brand ambassador. And how can we do that? What is our right of existence? What is already
happening in the supercar market? And there's plenty of product. And how can we be different?
How can we be Maserati? How can we be Maserati even without a Trident on the car?
So there's a lot of debate and conversation that goes in there. And I think I hope my team would
agree that my leadership style is very much about forcing them to give me their honest opinion
about what they think we should do. Now, at the end of the day, it becomes my responsibility
to gather with other leaders at Maserati to then digest this recommendation. But the outcome
of this conversation then is that the car almost had designed itself in our heads.
And we only have to basically put the pen to the paper and sketch it. Sounds a little bit
easier than it was, obviously. But there's an important role in this kind of philosophical debate.
You've also said that there are visual things, the face that you see on the MC20
and other aspects that will foreshadow where Maserati goes in the future.
And you said you did not want to design a car for Instagram. You didn't want to
design a car that shouts, look at me and is too aggressive. But you wanted to design that visual
value, something that was made it a rolling sculpture to some extent. Have you recaptured
what it means to be Maserati? So I think there's two points I would say to that.
Number one, why do I think visual longevity is such an important part? And it's not only
because it'll go into a Concoz de Lagos in 30, 40 years. But if you look at where we are as a society
and the role of a luxury brand, and we are a luxury brand, I think our obligation,
and when I say our, I mean all luxury brands, the obligation is to deliver visual and qualitative
longevity. Because I give you the opposite example. Luxury brands I do not have respect for
other ones that are commanding a high price, and they're probably delivering good quality in
terms of product, but there is no visual longevity. In other words, if you look at some fashion brands,
they force you to rebuy every six months. Now that for me can be perceived as luxury because
it's going to be expensive, et cetera, et cetera. But it's not the role that we need to play
in the level of being relevant and sustainable. Because I do believe that if you allow me
to speak about sustainability for a month, because it's very close to my heart, and not only mine,
but us as a brand and as Stellantis, is that to be sustainably relevant, you can do two things. You
can continue to buy a high quantity of product and make sure it's either recycled or recyclable,
or you can buy less, but make sure that that one object that you buy has that longevity,
qualitative and visual. And I think that's what we're doing with Maserati, with an MC20,
or other Maseratis too. Point number one. Point number two, I would like to make,
coming back also to the rolling sculpture comment, is again, looking at society. Now,
obviously I've lived in many societies and understand there's a different approach and
understanding of car culture. A big difference between USA and Germany, for example. In Germany,
there's a very critical debate about cars in general, luxury cars, SUVs. And so now I can
design a car that looks, you know, that shouts, look at me, you know, I could put extra spoilers,
extra air intakes, and a lot of edges and decorative elements. But is it the right move? Because do I
really want to create this kind of attention that sometimes can be negative? Or do I create a car,
and that's what we've done with an MC20, but also other products, that really only use the
minimum required air intakes that tries to avoid spoilers, that creates truly a rolling sculpture.
And by doing that adds visual value to the environment, and hopefully is appreciated,
versus creating negative context. And the good news is, from all I can hear and all I see is,
we have exactly accomplished that with the MC20, but also other products like the Glickale.
And you spent thousands of hours in the wind tunnel in order to ensure that the
downforce on the MC20 was sufficient for the vehicle without adding a spoiler.
This is the completely new format, to some extent, especially for Mazda.
Yeah, you know what, it was very clear in the beginning that we wanted to try to work
without a spoiler. Number one, it's visual noise. There's a space for a spoiler when
you really go track and you do a track car, etc. But for a grand touring supercar,
we wanted to remain as pure as possible. So we try to avoid the spoiler as an add-on piece.
And secondary, if you do a moving spoiler, which we could have done to hide it while you're driving it,
it adds weight and it compromises the space of your luggage compartment.
So also that was not a good idea. So instead what we did, exactly what you did, what you say,
is to be almost real time designing the car with the aerodynamicists in Modena.
Actually, wind tunnel, yes, but these days is actually all artificial. The computer does that
for us until the final check in the physical wind tunnel. And so we did the car real time with
aerodynamics and then allowed us to design the car like a wing. For example, if you want
interesting detail, if you look at the section of the wheel arches, normally
they're very sculpted, they're peeking around. On the MC20, they're not completely flat,
but they're more flat than round. And so even the surface of the wheel arches
creates downforce by being basically a wing surface.
When you think about the future and where the industry is going, it is undeniable that the electric
vehicle movement is picking up speed, if you will. You drive or at least you did drive a
Grand Cabrio with a naturally aspirated V8 and you love the sound of a morning cold start
with a V8. Who doesn't, right? But you did something interesting as you started to examine
how EVs would change design and change product development.
You challenged yourselves with an interesting exercise. You took a video of a 1954
Pininfarina designed A6 GCS. You say the most beautiful Maserati ever put together.
Driving through the streets of Italy, you muted the engine sound and played classical music.
And what came to mind when you did that?
Goosebumps. It was literally goosebumps. And it was this Eureka moment of the future is
going to be great. And mind you, this exercise I did exactly when I arrived at Maserati because at
that time it was clear for us designers who live in the future that this will come. We didn't know
at what speed and with every little consequence. But it wasn't done last year or two years ago.
It was done seven years ago because there was this challenge about what if, which we didn't
know at that time, we would go electric. What if sound, the engine sound would go away. Electric cars
still produce some sound that they have to do for legal reasons. So we did this exercise.
But you know what? The interesting thing was while the video looked great with the original
sound, I would argue it almost looked more emotional without the sound of the car because
suddenly you over amplify the visual impact of the car. I don't want to make an advertisement,
but there's a fantastic TV show where all characters, a few chosen are blind. And
I struggled first with the concept of the show. But once I got into it, the show did an
excellent job of telling the world through the, well, I almost said through the eyes,
but through the ears of someone who's only dependent on sound and was fascinating. And so
we did it the other way around. We basically created something that now going forward will
almost exclusively depend on visual. So what you need to do is you need to remind yourself
then in the conversations with engineering and packaging, etc. We need to make sure that we
maintain this aspect of rolling sculpture, which means we need to have amazing proportion,
we need to have amazing design. And I would add, if you allow me, I would add one more
anecdote to it. When we had the lockdowns, one of the many lockdowns in Italy during the pandemic,
streets became silent. And suddenly when you would hear a high horsepower car, like
for example, my Gran Cabre, which I still own and will always own, announcing itself from five
minutes away, I started to ask myself, is this something that will be accepted beyond
car phonetics? And I'm not so sure it will be, to be honest. And I think you will earn much
more respect if you almost enter the scene silently. So I'm absolutely optimistic about
that aspect. Wow, that's an interesting perspective, one that I have not heard. The sound of the
internal combustion engine may be ostracized to some extent. You know what? I love that cold
start. I do. For me, my car is a reward. I'm not driving it on a daily basis. I usually
drive it over the weekend. I will do so again this weekend. And yes, when I go into my garage
and I start that car, it's more than just starting a car. It's like, yes, now the special part of the
weekend will start. And I'm going to go to the mountains or to the sea or any of the beautiful
places around Torino. So it's really a hedonistic, rewarding part of driving the car. But I also
admit, if I drive the car a long distance just two weeks ago, we're driving the car down to
Saint-Tropez. We're driving some of the mountain passes of the Alpine, of the Mediterranean Alps.
And as you're by yourself and you're going through these amazing beautiful natural roads,
these curvy roads through nature, I am more wishing at that moment that the car would be
electric. And I could just appreciate the handling of the car, which is fascinating
and just enjoy being there, driving the convertible with the roof open, be there with the nature
driving an amazing car, which is stunning inside out, but even further mute the sound. So
it already has crossed my mind that I would be one of the first customers, probably.
Let me ask you a final thing. And I've asked this of the other designers on this program.
How do you want to be remembered as a designer? I don't want to be remembered as a designer.
I want our product to be remembered. And I don't want any product to be remembered
designed by Klaus Poster, because that is simply not true. I want our products to be remembered by
that generation of designers coming from Chento, Stila, Maserati. I want to be remembered by the
people I work with, hopefully as someone who's a team player and that allowed them to be the
very best of themselves. Wonderful. Klaus, thank you so much for being part of this program.
It was an absolute pleasure to actually see you on my laptop and not in the
Delta Business Club launch in Detroit. So thank you for having me.
Thank you. Thank you again to my guest today, Maserati North America boss, Andrea Soriani,
and a replay of my interview with a Maserati boss, Klaus Puse. To see the interview with Andrea and
Klaus, visit the Cars and Culture YouTube channel. Subscribe, comment, and check out
hundreds of conversations with the creators, collectors, and culture makers who are
driving the industry forward. Like, subscribe, and dive into a growing library of more than
200 episodes. This is episode 223. I'm your host, Jason Stein. We'll see you down the road.
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