City ripe market for luxe vehicles, says dealership owner

The arrival of two iconic Italian sports cars in Saskatchewan shows there is confidence a market exists here, said the man behind the plan.

Vaughn Wyant, president of the Wyant Group, said he heard both Maserati and Alfa Romeo were building vehicles more attuned to the North American market and knew they would sell well here.

“We think the premium brand buyers will support it, as they understand a little more about the brands,” he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of interest. We are really excited to represent the brand. This is something we don’t take for granted and we look at this as an honour.”

Wyant said he is confident his knowledge of the automotive market locally gives him an insight into what brands will work in this province. The Wyant Group already has brands such as Porsche, Volvo, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar and others under its umbrella.

“This is a very strongly skewed truck market here in Saskatchewan,” he said.

His other luxury SUVs, such as the Porsche Cayenne, the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the Audi Q7, are all hot sellers in Saskatchewan. Wyant’s logic is that Saskatchewan has more than enough room for two more, but of the ultra-luxury variety.

After some intense lobbying with both Maserati and Alfa Romeo executives, he and his team got the wheels rolling.

“They weren’t ready to come to a market like Saskatoon for a number of years,” Wyant said. He asked them to visit Saskatoon and was able to prove it would work.

“We were able to convince them we were the right partner because of the auto mall, because of our premium brand experience and because of our database.”

Wyant was able to back up his claims and he said the Maserati/ Alfa Romeo group was more than impressed with his business plan.

“This is their new showpiece in Canada. This is their new benchmark.”

Richard Trevisan, president of Maserati Canada, agrees and said a move into Saskatoon makes a lot of business sense.

“We see Saskatoon as a hub of luxury brands,” Trevisan said in an interview at the Saskatoon dealership.

Right now, Maserati is sold in Calgary, but from there you have to jump across the centre of Canada to Ontario to experience that vehicle. He said there are plans to expand into Winnipeg soon, however.

Trevisan said he’s excited to have Maserati seen and experienced on the Canadian Prairies.

“When you hear the engine, you know it’s a Maserati. I like to say it’s a sensorial experience.”

Maserati has unveiled its ultraluxurious SUV, the Levante, and Alfa Romeo offers its Stelvio. Wyant said he sees a place for both in the Saskatchewan marketplace.

“When they get into these cars, like the Levante, they’re gonna say, ‘That’s got to be on my consideration list.’ ”

Besides the two SUV offerings, there is also an assortment of others in the showroom.

In the meantime, Wyant is planning his grand opening for Sept. 14 at the dealership located in the Stonebridge automall.