Bugatti names former Ferrari, Lotus man its new American chief

Wed, 26 Feb 2014

After six years running its American operations, John Hill is leaving Bugatti. So the exotic carmaker is going to need someone to fill his shoes – particularly since the United States and Canada account for a quarter of all Bugattis sold (to say nothing of Latin America). Fortunately, it appears to have found just the right person in Maurizio Parlato.

An old hand in moving exotic sports cars in North America, Parlato comes to his role as Chief Operating Officer at Bugatti of the Americas after years in the business. He served as top man in America first for Ferrari and Maserati and then at Lotus, holding numerous other positions at both companies over the years, including the latter's global sales and marketing director. (Lotus, for what it's worth, was once owned by Bugatti, but that was long before Parlato arrived on the scene.)

Parlato assumes his new role at Bugatti at a time when the company is trying to move the last few dozen Veyrons before switching over to its successor. He'll have a network of 13 dealers to manage, satisfy and ultimately expand, but if anyone can do it, Parlato seems to have proven that he can.

MAURIZIO PARLATO APPOINTED NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (COO) OF BUGATTI OF THE AMERICAS

Molsheim, 25 February 2014. Maurizio Parlato has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bugatti in America. The top manager took up his new position at the French luxury brand on 15 February 2014. Maurizio Parlato is the successor to John Hill, who is retiring after serving six years in this role.

"Maurizio Parlato is an experienced sales and marketing expert in high-end brands and highly customer and dealer-oriented. He has also successfully established and developed various national companies. He knows the American market very well, and we are delighted that he will be managing our team and dealership organisation in the market," said Dr. Stefan Brungs, Member of the Board of Management of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service. "America is the largest market for super sports cars in the world. We want to unlock this potential even more effectively and in a more systematic way."

The USA and Canada account for approximately a quarter of all Bugatti sales worldwide. "We would like to thank John Hill for all of his successful work at Bugatti in the past six years," continued Stefan Brungs.

Maurizio Parlato is joining Bugatti from the British sports car manufacturer Lotus, where he has served as CEO of Lotus Cars USA and Global Sales and Marketing Director of Group Lotus Plc since 2011. Prior to this, he belonged to the Ferrari and Maserati Group for over 20 years, where he occupied a series of top management positions in the Far East, Italy and Germany. His most recent role there was as President and CEO of Ferrari North America.

"I am thrilled to join Bugatti, which for me represents the pinnacle of luxury automobiles: the perfect synthesis of exquisite elegance, state of the art technology, innovation and ultimate performance combined with a unique history and tradition," said Maurizio Parlato.

As COO of Bugatti of the Americas, Maurizio Parlato will be responsible for the sales and marketing activities of the super sports car brand in both North and South America, as well as continuing to develop the network of dealerships across the two continents. Bugatti currently has 13 dealerships in the Americas. Maurizio Parlato will report directly to Stefan Brungs.

By Noah Joseph