Grande entry
Azimut presents the Grande 44M project, the brand’s new flagship model.
27 March 2024
Advertisement
Presented at the 2024 Palm Beach International Boat Show, Azimut’s new flagship – the Low Emission Yacht Grande 44M – has a concept and exterior styling by Alberto Mancini and interiors by m²atelier, working with the Shipyard for the first time.
According to the shipyard, they sold five units ahead of the launch. The largest model ever built by the shipyard is also an expression of its mission to marry technological innovation, visionary design and a focus on environmental sustainability.
Grande 44M aims to amaze by offering something innovative: a superyacht with reduced CO2 emissions that brings bold, flowing lines to a design with four decks rather than the traditional three, embracing and sculpting significant volumes.
As designers explained, “She’s a boat that offers a unique and unexpected onboard lifestyle for this segment. The stand-out feature? The Upper Deck, which can be converted into an owner’s deck with uninterrupted sea views both forward and astern.
Advertisement
“Grande 44M is proof that true innovation anticipates what owners really desire, confirmed by the five units sold even before the official presentation of the project, all bought by Azimut owners who understand the shipyard’s values and wish to grow with us,” said Marco Valle, Azimut|Benetti Group CEO.
The concept underpinning the innovative styling – created by Azimut in partnership with Alberto Mancini – is the decision to move the helm station to the fourth deck, freeing up the Upper Deck so that it can be transformed into an Owner’s Deck featuring the master suite and a private terrace offering spectacular views.
Aft, Grande 44M reproposes the Mezzanine Deck with Sea View Terrace that was central to the success of Grande Trideck. On Grande 44M, this stage overlooking the sea is made even more unique by the See Through Pool, with its plays on transparency that establish continuous contact with the water and generate reflections that give the beach club an even more magical feel.
The new layout means that architecture firm m²atelier, working with Azimut for the first time, could create an interior design that balances functionality and aesthetics, making the owners’ experience central and offering versatile settings to configure according to how they like to spend their time with family and friends.
The forward section of Grande 44M’s Upper Deck can be fitted out as a media room for guests or reserved for the owner, or alternatively as a dining area with veranda accommodating 12 people.
In both cases, almost 2-metre-long windows on either side provide open views outside, where a lounge area in the bow with a small firepit offers a cozy space from which to watch the sun set over the water. It’s a lifestyle aspired to by everyone who loves the sea.
Water is the key element in the narrative told by m²atelier, capturing its essence and giving back fluidity, dynamism and reflections. m²atelier, a firm with an international reputation for creative projects in multiple sectors – from residences and hotels to retail and product design – brings as a distinctive signature for Azimut a clear message, accented by refined, subtle, whispered details that seduce with a discreet simplicity completely free of affectation or overemphasis.
Grande 44M is not only a design and lifestyle masterpiece, but also a highly advanced naval architecture project and a new milestone in the green course charted by Azimut.
The yacht is also the flagship of the Shipyard’s family of Low Emission Yachts, models that offer a reduction of between 20 and 30 percent in emissions compared to more traditional naval architectures of the same size. The innovative naval platform of Grande 44M is based on a Dual Mode hull, the introduction of the Hull Vane® foil technology and the Mild Hybrid Plus Zero Emission Hotel Mode system.
The Dual Mode hull, developed in partnership by P.L. Ausonio Naval Architecture and the Azimut R&D department, represents the union of two types of conventional hull: the bow section is typical for fast displacement boats, while the part from midships to the stern has a chine commonly found on planing hulls. This results in a hull that allows a considerable reduction in fuel consumption and emissions at every speed range.
The foil technology is installed for the first time on an Azimut yacht thanks to the collaboration between Hull Vane, Dutch company global leader in the design of advanced hydrodynamic solutions, and the Azimut|Benetti Group R&D Department which has gained a great experience in the design and production of carbon components.
The Hull Vane® carbon wing fitted to the stern of Grande 44M is able to suppress the stern wave and generate forward thrust, providing further reduction in overall drag as well as damping of pitch, sway, and roll in navigation.
The ability to combine onboard comfort with a focus on environmental sustainability is a stand-out feature of the designs developed by Azimut, which now already offers six models that can be fitted with a Zero Emission Hotel Mode system, making it possible to stay at anchor for from four to eight hours with the generators off.
On Grande 44M this technology achieves maximum efficiency in combination with the Mild Hybrid Plus system, a new level of electrification developed by Azimut|Benetti Group R&D in partnership with Asea Nautica.
The Mild Hybrid Plus Zero Emission Hotel Mode system is the only solution today that makes it possible to cruise with the generators off and all loads connected, as well as producing a surplus of energy used to recharge the battery pack.
The Grande 44M will make its public debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
