The iconic Italian sports car maker Maserati and British high-end audio specialist Bowers & Wilkins today announced a brand partnership that looks set to shake up the world of car audio. The long-term partnership will produce a new high-performance car sound system, created by Bowers & Wilkins in collaboration with Maserati, and available exclusively in Maserati cars from 2013.
The partnership was announced at the Paris Motorshow by Maserati CEO Harald Wester and Bowers & Wilkins Executive VP Evert Huizing.
“If you look at the values the companies have in common, the partnership makes perfect sense,” said Wester. “Both Maserati and Bowers & Wilkins have a proud heritage of traditional craftsmanship and engineering excellence. Both have a real commitment to innovation. And both continue to set benchmarks for performance and design in our industries.”
“Maserati has always attracted discerning customers who appreciate understated refinement and genuine performance – and the same can be said for Bowers & Wilkins.” Although no details about the forthcoming car audio system are yet available, Huizing says that there is plenty to get excited about. “I’m confident we’ve come up with something very special,” said Huizing. “By working closely with Maserati engineers, we’ve designed a system perfectly adapted to the unique challenges of the car environment, and one which will deliver great sound and transform the driving experience.”
To support the partnership, Maserati and Bowers & Wilkins will launch a range of brand activities including a microsite, films and a series of events in cities around the world. The center piece of the marketing drive will be Seven Notes – a campaign inspired by the seven unique notes produced by all Maserati car engines. These engine notes have been used to create a series of exclusive tracks, composed and recorded by musician and producer Howie B (U2, Björk) at Abbey Road Studios in London. These tracks are freely available in high-definition audio from www.7notes.com.
Along with the new car-audio system, the Maserati/Bowers & Wilkins partnership will produce a range of limited edition co-branded audio products, including high-performance loudspeakers and headphones.
