Wine, gifts and Italian luxury: Maserati rolls out a club for friends of the brand

© A. Krivonosov

Maserati has launched a customer program in Japan called Amici di Maserati, which translates from Italian as «friends of Maserati». The program runs until 30 June 2026 and targets existing owners willing to introduce friends or acquaintances to the brand.

The mechanics are simple. A Maserati owner invites a prospective client to an official dealership. If they arrive at the showroom together and the guest takes a test drive, has a trade-in appraisal or receives a price quote on a new car, both parties get a bottle of Antinori wine — the famed Tuscan winery and a long-standing Maserati partner.

If the invited customer actually buys a new Maserati before 30 June, the reward grows. Both the referring owner and the new buyer receive a travel voucher or a gift catalogue worth 70,000 yen — roughly $450.

Every new Maserati model qualifies. The current line-up includes the Grecale crossover, the GranTurismo coupe, the GranCabrio convertible, the MC Pura supercar, its open-top sibling the MC Pura Cielo, the hardcore GT2 Stradale and the track-only MCXtrema, capped at just 62 units.

For Maserati this is more than a short-term dealer push. Premium brands increasingly try to sell not a discount but a club atmosphere: personal recommendations, closed-circle conversations and a sense of belonging to an Italian way of life. The Antinori wine works as a symbol here — the customer is offered not just a car, but entry into the wider world of luxury.

The sales logic is equally pragmatic. A recommendation from an owner is often more persuasive than advertising, especially in the high-end segment, where trust, ownership experience and an emotional bond with the brand matter most.