- A new Maserati could be sold alongside a Maextro-branded car in China.
- JAC might be responsible for the research and development of the new EV.
- Sales of the Italian brand’s models have fallen off a cliff in recent years.
Maserati has a long and proud history of building some remarkable cars, all with rich ties to its Italian heritage. But there could be future Maserati models on the horizon that have a stronger connection to China than Italy, if a new report is to be believed.
According to China’s Yunjian Insight, Maserati and Stellantis are in discussions with Huawei and JAC to build new-energy vehicles, aka EVs for the Maserati brand. The partnership could work similarly to Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, which includes five distinct automotive brands, each building its own vehicles with Huawei technology.
Read: A $103K Chinese Luxury Sedan Outsold The BMW 7, Panamera, And Maybach S-Class Combined
Yunjian Insight reports that Huawei would develop core vehicle technologies and lead planning, while JAC would be tasked with research and development and manufacturing. What would Maserati do? It would be responsible for designing the vehicle and brand endorsement. This is the type of news that would probably have the three brothers who founded Maserati in 1914 rolling in their graves.
This would not be Stellantis’ first dance with a Chinese partner. The group already holds 21 percent of Leapmotor, picked up in 2023, and just expanded that deal so the Chinese EV maker can start building a model for the European market in 2028. A jointly developed Opel-badged electric SUV is also part of the new agreement, with production heading to Stellantis’ Zaragoza plant in Spain.
If the Maserati talks land, it would be a similar arrangement with a more expensive badge on top.
A Rebadging Exercise?
Two models are reportedly in the early planning stages. The first would be sold in China under the Maextro brand, while the second would emerge as a rebadged or redesigned version for international markets wearing a Maserati badge. Discussions have reportedly been ongoing since early 2025, and preliminary research and development work is already underway.
While seeing Maserati work with Chinese brands isn’t something we expected, it could give it the lifeline it so desperately needs. Last year, Maserati sold just 11,127 vehicles, a 58 percent drop from 2024. Sales are also down even more significantly from their 2017 peak of roughly 49,000 units. That same year, Maserati sold 14,498 vehicles in China. By comparison, it sold just a touch over 1,000 examples in China last year.
What shape these new cars might take is anyone’s guess. SUVs, sedans, sports cars, the report stays quiet on the subject. What it does suggest is that whatever they turn out to be, the most Italian thing about them might be the spelling on the bootlid.
We’ve reached out to Maserati for comment and will update this story if we hear back.
