Maserati offered its GranTurismo for rent at virtually no cost, but the offer lasted only a weekend

Sometimes there are stories that seem too good to be true. However, according to the hosts of the YouTube channel VinWiki, Maserati did indeed offer, for a very short time, a virtually free lease on the new GranTurismo in the United States. A move that was as surprising as it was short-lived, stemming from a much deeper problem: sales at a standstill.

The GranTurismo couldn't find a buyer

In a video examining how supercar prices have changed in the face of inflation, VinWiki journalists take a closer look at Maserati. They note that the GranTurismo saw a relatively modest price increase between 2016 and 2026—just 16 %—which was less than the rate of inflation over the same period. But this pricing strategy masked a far less encouraging reality: demand was extremely low. According to VinWiki, Maserati sold only about ten GranTurismos in the United States during the first quarter of 2025, while nearly 300 units sat unsold in dealer inventory.

The mechanism that made leasing virtually free

That’s when a rather unusual situation arose. The GranTurismo’s lease contracts were backed by a bank, which had set a very high trade-in value after twelve months. However, the reality of the market was quite different: due to a lack of demand, the car was already reselling for less than that residual value.

To understand this, let’s look at a simplified example. Imagine a GranTurismo listed at $160,000. The bank estimates that it will still be worth $140,000 a year later. The lease is therefore calculated based on a theoretical depreciation of only $20,000, which results in relatively low monthly payments.

Except that if, in reality, that same car is now worth only $130,000, the business model collapses. The residual value guaranteed by the bank is now higher than the vehicle’s actual value. Rather than leaving hundreds of cars unsold or selling them off at a loss, Maserati chose to absorb this loss in value.

In practice, a leasing customer mainly pays for the car’s depreciation. If this amounts to, for example, a monthly payment of $1,700, Maserati may decide to cover all or part of that amount. The customer is then left with only a nominal monthly payment—or virtually nothing at all—to pay, aside from insurance and related fees.

A deal that lasted only one weekend

However, the operation is said to have been extremely brief. The organizers explain that it lasted only one weekend before being shut down. One of them even said he was contacted by a Maserati dealership to take advantage of this opportunity, but declined because he didn’t have room for an additional car. Several people who jumped at the chance reportedly even returned their GranTurismos before the end of the contract, as the cost of insurance ended up being higher than the leasing payment itself.

This anecdote illustrates the difficulties Maserati has faced in recent years. Despite the merits of the new GranTurismo, the automaker is struggling to win over customers who are grappling with skyrocketing prices for luxury cars and increasingly fierce competition. While this extraordinary offer applied to only a very limited number of American customers, it will go down as one of the most unusual episodes in recent automotive history: one in which, for a few days, it was almost possible to drive a Maserati GranTurismo… for free.