Maserati: the design director talks about his 10 years at the helm of the brand

Since 2015, Klaus Busse has been Design Director at Maseratia legendary brand that has just celebrated its 110th anniversary. In December 2024, Busse answered an interview for ABC NewsIn this interview, he looks back on a decade at the helm of Maserati design, with its successes, risks and challenges. Here's a glimpse of his reflections on these transformative years and the projects to come.

A career marked by change

Before joining Maserati, Klaus Busse held strategic positions at Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo (2015 to 2021), as well as at Chrysler Group, where he was head of design for the Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands (2005 to 2015). It is this rich and varied background that has enabled him to approach Maserati with a global vision, while respecting the brand's fundamentals: "A perfect balance between performance, style and comfort", as he describes himself.

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Klaus Busse at the Maserati design talk a few months ago

He explains that his first objective in 2015 was to gain an in-depth understanding of the projects underway and the team in place, (Editor's note: at that time Maserati had just launched the Ghbili and Quattroporte, unveiled its Alfieri concept and was about to launch its Levante SUV) while asking himself about the brand's future. "What could electrification mean for Maserati? How can we ensure the brand's relevance for the coming decades?"

Transforming without betraying heritage: the challenge of electrification

With the rise of electrification, Maserati is taking on a new challenge. "Electric has changed our design processes, but the objective remains the same: to design cars that offer sublime performance while reducing emissions," explains Busse. The switch to electric is accompanied by new ideas, such as the wheel design of the Gran Turismo electric which, he says, is one of the brand's greatest design innovations. "For example, we introduced flat wheels for our electric model, which didn't exist on the market. It was a bold gamble, but it paid off," he says.

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To optimize aerodynamics, this rim is "flat".

In this digital age of technological innovation, Klaus Busse remains faithful to a human-centered vision. He frequently refers to the driving experience as a hedonistic art, a pleasure that must above all be preserved. "When you're in a Maserati, you need to be focused on the road. That's why we positioned the screen so as not to disrupt the driving experience," he explains.

Artificial intelligence: a new creative ally

Klaus Busse makes no secret of the fact that artificial intelligence has changed the creative process. "When I started out, it took me a day to prepare a rendering. Today, AI accelerates this task, transforming a simple sketch into a 3D model in a matter of hours," he explains. However, he stresses that AI is only a tool: "Design evolves by respecting heritage, AI only accelerates this process."

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Klaus Busse's future: what's on the horizon after 10 years at Maserati?

Klaus Busse in 2020 next to the MC20 (top), in 2013 next to the Dodge Viper (bottom)

An interesting detail emerges from the interview: Klaus Busse seems to have a pattern of changes every ten years in his career. After ten years at Mercedes-Benz from 1995 to 2005, ten years at Chrysler from 2005 to 2015, he has managed Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati, and here we are in 2025. The question today is: Will Klaus Busse continue to lead Maserati or will his career take a new turn? He has not yet answered this question, but his plans for the future of Maserati, such as electrification and continued aesthetic innovation, show that he is far from exhausting his ideas for the trident brand.

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  1. We owe him the insipid Grand Turismo and the current Levante, whereas when he arrived there was a magnificent hope of renewal and boldness with the Alfieri study.

    The Viper 3 was no great success either, a rehash of the Viper 1 without any daring whatsoever. A dark portent of what was to become of the Gran Turismo's successor...

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