Digital luxury – working with Maserati to make the future of mobility shine

Maserati is one of the world's most admired brands, recognised for the high quality and unique nature of the cars it’s produced since 1914.

Personalisation has always been at the core of Maserati’s customer experience and this has been a critical differentiator for the luxury car manufacturer over the years, enabling it to stand out from the competition.

But, notwithstanding its iconic status, Maserati knew that to stay successful, it had to keep moving.

And with digitalisation offering car manufacturers the unique opportunity to create an interactive, fully personalized and luxurious, customer-focused experience, it’s no surprise Maserati is making connectivity a key feature of its vehicles.

I had the privilege to catch up with Theo-Han Jansen, Head of Connectivity of Maserati, to discuss the future of connected mobility, digitalisation and how they are working with Vodafone Automotive to make this possible.

Erik: The world of mobility has changed dramatically over the past 100 years and you have been a leading luxury brand since 1914. How would you define Maserati in 2021?

Theo-Han: For Maserati, 2020 was the start of a new era.

Last September, the special event “MMXX Time to be Audacious” which we hosted in Modena, marked for us the beginning of a significant page in our history with the world première of the new MC20 super sports car, powered by the ground-breaking Nettuno V6 engine, incorporating F1-derived technologies in a power unit of a standard production car for the first time.

On that occasion, we also revealed Folgore - the new strategy for electrification the Maserati way.

For the Brand, the focus is strongly on the future: all new Maserati models will be 100% designed, developed, engineered and built in Italy, and will adopt hybrid and battery electric propulsion systems delivering all the innovation and outstanding performance typical of the brand's DNA.

Today, Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognisable by their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a reference point for the global automotive industry.

A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than seventy markets internationally.

Erik: What role do you think digital solutions and connectivity have in the evolution of today’s mobility and what does this mean for Maserati?

Theo-Han: Connectivity is a key enabler to deal with today's most prominent disrupters in the automotive industry: Autonomous, Shared and Electrified – mobility. So it's natural that connectivity will become standard in all cars.

At the same time, consumers are living a more and more digital and connected lifestyle and, as a consequence, they expect to have a seamless digital experience also in and around the car.

Maserati will bring new cars on the market that allow our customers to have an experience that is in line with our brand values of luxury, design and audacity, whether the car is electric or has an innovative combustion engine. Our customers will enjoy a fully digital journey from choosing and testing our cars to buying and driving our cars where we will bring new content and experiences during all the cars’ lifetime.

Erik: Do consumer demands and expectations play a key role for you at Maserati when thinking about the services you offer your customers, today and in the future?

Theo-Han: Consumers’ expectations change constantly, in particular after the global pandemic which we have just experienced. Also as a result of this, the definition of luxury has completely changed. Where in the past luxury was mainly about external viewed status, ownership, tradition and pricing, today luxury is more about personal values, authenticity, innovation and experience.

We at Maserati are constantly monitoring and mapping these expectations to make sure that we can bring the best in luxury performance to our customers responding to their expectations today and going forward.

That’s one of the reasons we looked at Vodafone Automotive and its years of experience in delivering innovative digital solutions for its customers.

Erik: What role does Vodafone Automotive play in your vision?

Theo-Han: To bring the best possible luxury performance to our customers we rely also on our partners, of which we expect the same passion and expertise to support us.

We looked at Vodafone Automotive because of its ability to deliver world-class connected car services for luxury and electric vehicles. It’s also part of Vodafone Business, a leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), and therefore at the forefront of innovation when it comes to digital connectivity, 5G and autonomous driving.

The Vodafone Automotive Stolen vehicle recovery solution we are currently using in the UK, for instance, is more than a service. Is digital peace of mind for our customers.

The Vodafone Automotive team worked with us to make the solution work for us. They understood we think of our cars as works of art and their expertise in delivering solutions to luxury car manufacturers meant they could deal with the complexities of the project proactively, ultimately delivering what we needed.

We are looking forward to more projects with Vodafone Automotive in the future, to build the next normal of luxury mobility together.

Discover more about our work in the automotive industry and the future of car connectivity.