Grammy-winning South African DJ Black Coffee has won a court battle against Maserati South Africa over a customised luxury car that was not delivered. The Johannesburg High Court ordered Maserati South Africa to pay approximately R7 million ($438,000) to Soulistic Music, the company owned by Black Coffee, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo.
Black Coffee is one of South Africa’s most internationally recognised electronic music artists who won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2022 for Subconsciously, marking his first Grammy win and nomination according to the Recording Academy.
Maserati was also ordered to pay 10.5% annual interest on the amount from August 22, 2025, until the judgment is settled, as well as the legal costs of the proceedings.
According to TimesLIVE, the judgment was granted by acting judge Sanet van Aswegen. The order reportedly did not provide detailed reasons for granting summary judgment in Black Coffee’s favour.
Black Coffee Sought Replacement for Maserati MC20
The dispute began after Black Coffee decided to replace a Maserati MC20 Coupe he had purchased in 2022 for R7 million and selected a customised Maserati MC20 Cielo valued at approximately R9 million ($563,000).
Black Coffee’s company said Maserati offered R7 million for his existing vehicle as a trade-in, with the remaining R2 million to be paid when the new car was delivered. Soulistic Music maintained that an agreement for the transaction was concluded through a combination of written and verbal discussions, with delivery expected by July 2025.
However, Black Coffee said Maserati informed him in June 2025 that the vehicle would only enter production in August and that no definite delivery date was available. He subsequently cancelled the transaction and demanded the return of the R7 million trade-in value.
Maserati Disputed Delivery Deadline
Maserati South Africa denied that it had agreed to deliver the customised vehicle by July 2025. The luxury-car company argued that Black Coffee had selected additional specifications that were not included in the original quotation. According to Maserati’s court filings, those specifications required confirmation from the customer and approval from the company’s head office before production could begin.
Maserati also argued that a customised MC20 Cielo requires at least nine months to produce after its specifications are finalised as Black Coffee reportedly selected 18 specifications for the vehicle, including Maserati’s Blu Infinito exterior colour, glossy black diamond-cut wheels and an interior finished in leather and Alcantara.
The company disputed the claim that it had breached the agreement and maintained that the R7 million trade-in value was linked to Black Coffee completing the purchase of the new vehicle.
Maserati argued that without the new purchase, the existing MC20 Coupe would not necessarily retain the same R7 million valuation however the High Court nevertheless granted summary judgment in favour of Soulistic Music and ordered Maserati to repay the money, with interest and legal costs.
