• USA Today, Wednesday, March 4, 2009 11 AM

Marti Eulberg, who was installed as North American CEO of Fiat's high-end Maserati line in June, already is making a mark, impressing dealers with her enthusiasm and creative marketing ideas, such as offering the sound of a purring Maserati motor as a cellphone ring tone, Chris Woodyard reports.

The bicoastal exec doesn't just market expensive cars; she sells the lifestyle. "When I get in my car, I smile. When I walk away from my car, I smile," she says. Happiness with a Maserati is contagious, she insists. "If I'm driving in Manhattan, I get a minimum of four or five thumbs-up a week."

Maseratis are designed to make a style statement, a reason one became part of the Hollywood scene on HBO's "Entourage" series. One episode was even titled "My Maserati Does 185," a line from Life's Been Good by Joe Walsh of Eagles fame.

Maserati sold 2,510 cars last year, just one fewer than in 2007, but sales though February are down 53.7% from a year ago.

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