Hendy Group ramps-up the luxury of its franchise portfolio with the opening of a Maserati car dealership in Poole today (December 1).

The AM100 car retail group brought its relationship with the iconic Italian performance car brand to fruition at its Hendy Sports Cars Centre on the A350 West Quay Road.

It joins a diverse line-up of brands for the retail group, which has recently added Lotus Cars and the Moke brand to its list of OEM partners.

Hendy now represents 21 automotive brands in the UK from 65 locations in the south and southwest.

Chief executive Paul Hendy said the addition of the iconic marque to the group’s portfolio demonstrates Hendy’s strength and ambitions for the future.

“Maserati is synonymous with unique design, innovation, performance and passion and we look forward to being part of the brand’s future in the UK,” he said.

“This is an extremely exciting time to be adding Maserati to the Hendy portfolio, as 2023 will see a huge influx of new models and the brand is heading towards a full electrified range by 2030.”

Among a list of new models aiming to transform Maserati's registrations fortunes and elelvate its price point in the coming years are the Grecale SUV, the MC 20 Cielo roadster, the GranTurismo coupe, the full-electric Folgore and a zero-emission version of its Quattroporte saloon.

Year-to-date to the end of October, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) new car registrations data showed that Maserati's UK new car registrations were a single unit down at 618.

A year ago the Stellantis-owned brand vowed to maintain the “centrality of dealerships’ role” after unveiling a new OTO Retail project corporate identity (CI) in a bid to adapt to customers’ growing demands for online car sales.

Hendy said that investment in its newly-opened Poole dealership during 2023 will bring the site in-line with brand’s new retail store concept.

Commenting on the appointment of Hendy Group, Maserati North Europe General Manager, Peter Charters said: “We’re delighted to be working with the Hendy team as our brand continues to grow in the UK.

“They’ve consistently shown to us how committed they are to driving success and delivering luxury levels of sales and service care, which is paramount to a luxury brand like ours.

“We’re delighted to be able to now serve current and prospective Maserati owners in the south and south west and look forward to a very successful partnership in the years ahead.”