Maserati of Ontario – Onwards and Upwards
New showrooms in the heart of the North

We recently brought you news of the continuing growth of the Maserati dealer network. One man who is an enthusiastic participant in the expansion is Remo Ferri; owner of the Maserati dealership in Ontario, he is also opening the newest Canadian franchise in Calgary, Alberta. On top of that, illustrating his faith in Maserati, he is building a brand new showroom in Toronto.

We spoke to this famously friendly and jovial car lover at his existing facility, in Toronto's north west. We began by asking him about his investment in the new Toronto showroom. “In this business, it’s not about selling quantity, we’re selling quality,” said Remo. “I decided that we should build the most modern facility in the world, which meets the latest standards of the brand. I believe that is what is needed to deliver what I want, going forward; we’re aiming to deliver a place where the customer will feel welcome, will feel important.”

“It’s quite simple: could you sell Patek Philippe watches from a small gift shop? Of course you couldn’t,” he continued. “You can buy a watch anywhere, but you can only buy a Patek Philippe watch from a boutique. That’s my goal – we represent one of the most special brands in the world, and we need to have the best facility and best environment for our clients. My view has always been that you should invest in your customers, because they are your best advertising; you could spend millions buying advertising in newspapers and magazines, but I prefer to spend money on things which are focused on what we want to achieve.”

The topic of ensuring his customers are satisfied came up time and again during our discussion – it is clearly something the dealership makes its top priority. “We try to create a bond with our clients; we have to be able to communicate with them, and they need to feel they can communicate with us,” he said. “For example, I get to meet every customer, and I talk to most of them; I don't think there are many dealerships where the clients talk to the owner. I have a great passion for Italian products – being Italian myself, that’s understandable – and I think that passion comes across to people. The best way for me to promote the brand is to take care of my customers, so they will say good things about the brand and about this dealership.”

We spoke to Remo on the upper floor of the showroom, where there is a dazzling array of classic Italian racing machines, road cars and motorcycles. Downstairs, the main sales floor was packed with cars – no wonder they will soon expand. We asked Remo about the downtown showroom, in the prestigious Yorkville area of Toronto. “To be honest, it’s there to promote the Maserati brand,” he explained. “I wanted to have something visible, something that people would take notice of. I looked at getting a billboard – but that was going to cost $20,000 a month! So, as with the new facility, I decided to spend my money the best way I could. It’s become very effective for us – we’re selling cars into Yorkville, Forest Hill, and Rosedale. And the showroom gives us somewhere that people can drop in, look at the cars, chat to the people there and have a coffee. They can drop their cars off for service there, too – although they don’t need to. We’re happy to go to their house and pick the car up with a closed trailer, and leave them with a courtesy car if they need one.”

An astute businessman like Remo wouldn’t consider investing in a new facility in Toronto, and a brand new dealership in booming oil-rich Calgary, if he were not convinced by the product. On that topic, Signor Ferri leaves us in no doubt. “I look back at the history of Maserati, and there was a saying – that Maserati was the Italian Rolls-Royce,” he told us. “Our customers like the style, that it’s unique and different – they like the feeling of the cars, both the Quattroporte and GranTurismo give a terrific feeling, unlike any other car. They’re probably as close as you can get to Ferrari. This is an exciting time for us – the Quattroporte is a fine car, and now we have the GranTurismo, with the GranTurismo S coming soon. I don’t mind saying it – I think the cars are gorgeous.”

“The introduction of the Quattroporte Automatic was great news for us; it didn’t alter our customer profile, it expanded it,” Remo continued. “The Quattroporte is a great family car, you can use it to go out for dinner or whatever, but with the DuoSelect gearbox some people felt they couldn’t drive it properly. Now it has a full Automatic transmission, anyone can drive it. However, they may not be prepared for the attention; yesterday I had a very good client, a lady, complain that whenever she drives her Maserati, everyone looks at her – everybody on the street, everywhere she drives, people turn and look, and try to take photos of the car.”

We asked Remo about opening a new dealership in Calgary – after all, it can’t be easy, setting up a new operation from scratch some 1,600 miles to the west. “I always remember something my father told me – if you stop, then you are lost,” he chuckled. “I love challenges – it keeps me on my toes, keeps me fired up. Yes, it’s far away, but these days, technology brings us so much closer together – I can fire up my computer, and see what’s going on. And it’s only a few hours away; I can go out there one morning, and be back here the next day. We’ve recruited some good people already, and some of our people from here will be going out there – it’s just a matter of ensuring everything goes smoothly, and that we use the same consistent approach that we currently use here in Toronto.”

“That doesn’t mean that I’m satisfied; I’m actually a little frustrated at the time it is taking to get things set up to my standards, but that’s just me – I think that everything should have happened yesterday,” Remo told us. “Actually, it’s well under way, and we’re very happy with the way things are going. We had a stand at the Alberta Auto Shows in Calgary and Edmonton, the Maserati brand was well received and we’ve had a tremendous reception. There is a huge amount of potential there, and I’m excited about doing it – I really want to put Maserati on the map in Alberta.”

Things look bright for Remo; a new facility is being prepared for Maserati of Ontario, and new ground is being broken in Calgary. “We’ve got a lot of things going on, and I love challenges. Maserati is a great brand, with a terrific history; I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with Maserati of Ontario, and we’re determined to achieve even more in Alberta.”