Maserati’s next attempt at a comeback could look very different from anything in its century-long history. New reporting from China says the Italian luxury marque has settled on plans for two electric vehicles developed with Huawei and JAC Motors, potentially combining Chinese technology and manufacturing with Maserati design, tuning and final assembly in Italy. The proposal comes at a difficult moment for the Trident brand. Official Stellantis figures show Maserati’s sales have fallen sharply from their 2023 level, while shipments, revenue and profitability remain under severe pressure. Yet the partnership is not a done deal. Stellantis has acknowledged discussions with potential partners but has not confirmed the reported product plan, leaving a striking possibility on the table: Chinese-developed technology could become central to rebuilding one of Italy’s most recognizable luxury-car names.
The Reportedly Planned Lineup Includes Two Electric Maseratis
The latest report says Maserati’s proposed collaboration with Huawei and JAC has advanced beyond the idea of a single experimental model. According to Chinese automotive outlet Auto Time, as reported by CnEVPost and CarNewsChina, plans now cover two fully electric vehicles: a mid-to-large SUV and a large grand tourer. The SUV would broaden Maserati’s electric utility-vehicle presence beyond the Grecale Folgore, while the GT would occupy territory closer to the brand’s traditional strength in fast, long-distance luxury cars. People familiar with the project reportedly say the GT is currently favoured to arrive first.
That would make strategic sense for a company trying to modernize without completely losing its identity. Maserati has spent generations associating its badge with grand touring rather than simply selling technology-heavy electric transportation. A new GT could therefore serve as a bridge between those worlds. However, the newest report provides no firm launch date, final specifications or confirmation that a binding commercial agreement has been signed. Earlier reporting suggested that the first jointly developed vehicle might enter production during 2027, but that timetable should still be treated as provisional.
Huawei Could Supply Much More Than an Infotainment System
Huawei’s potential involvement is significant because the Chinese technology company has moved far beyond supplying individual screens or communications hardware to automakers. Under the reported Maserati arrangement, Huawei would provide technology associated with its Harmony Intelligent Mobility ecosystem, including smart-cockpit functions and its Qiankun advanced driver-assistance technology. Recent reports have also described Huawei as contributing electric-drive technology and playing a substantial role in product definition. That would give the company influence over some of the areas where Chinese premium EVs have advanced especially quickly.
Huawei’s automotive operations already demonstrate how comprehensive that role can become. Its Qiankun platform incorporates operating-system and driver-assistance technologies, while Huawei works closely with manufacturing partners on vehicles sold through its broader smart-mobility ecosystem. For Maserati, using an established technology stack could be considerably faster than building comparable electronics, software and assisted-driving capabilities entirely in-house for a brand selling only a few thousand vehicles annually. The trade-off is equally important: Maserati would need to make the finished vehicle feel distinctly like a Maserati rather than a familiar Chinese EV architecture wearing a Trident badge.
“Built in China” May Only Tell Half the Manufacturing Story
Reports describing the proposed vehicles as Chinese-built require some qualification. The newest account says JAC would handle vehicle engineering and manufacturing through its Maextro operations, but Maserati is reportedly considering a semi-knocked-down, or SKD, arrangement for vehicles intended for overseas markets. Under that concept, body-in-white structures would be produced in Hefei, China, then shipped to Italy. Italian facilities would subsequently perform work including luxury-interior installation and chassis calibration before the vehicles reached customers.
Such an arrangement could help Maserati use China’s established EV supply chain without abandoning Italian production altogether. The reported plan specifically mentions supporting activity at plants including Cassino and Modena, facilities whose utilization has become an important issue as Maserati volumes have fallen. Maserati would also reportedly exercise greater control over international distribution, with markets including Italy, France, Germany and the Middle East among the early targets. Another unusual element is the proposed branding strategy: related vehicles could reportedly be sold as Maextro models in China while wearing Maserati badges internationally. None of those production arrangements has yet received full public confirmation from Stellantis.
Maserati’s Official Numbers Explain the Urgency
The scale of Maserati’s decline becomes clear in Stellantis’ own annual filings. The company recorded 11,127 Maserati sales in 2025, down from 14,725 in 2024 and 26,689 in 2023. That means the reported sales figure fell by roughly 58% in only two years. Stellantis separately reports consolidated shipments, which dropped 30.1% in 2025 to approximately 7,900 vehicles from 11,300 a year earlier. That distinction matters because some coverage has referred to the 7,900 figure as “sales,” when Stellantis formally categorizes it as shipments.
Financial performance was similarly strained. Maserati’s net revenue declined 30.2% in 2025 to €726 million from €1.04 billion. The brand generated an adjusted operating loss of €198 million. That was smaller in absolute terms than the €260 million loss recorded in 2024, partly because costs were reduced, but the operating margin still deteriorated from negative 25% to negative 27.3%. Stellantis cited lower Grecale volumes, reduced pricing associated with inventory reductions, U.S. tariffs, portfolio contraction and weaker demand for Western luxury brands in China among factors affecting the business.
China Shows Both the Problem and the Opportunity
China was once far more important to Maserati than its recent figures suggest. Stellantis recorded 4,367 Maserati sales in China, including Hong Kong, during 2023. That number collapsed to 1,209 in 2024 before recovering modestly to 1,431 in 2025. The latest improvement therefore does not erase the bigger picture: 2025 Chinese sales remained about two-thirds below their 2023 level. Stellantis itself has identified reduced appetite for Western luxury manufacturers in China as one of the pressures weighing on Maserati.
That shift helps explain why a Huawei-JAC partnership could be attractive beyond manufacturing costs. Chinese luxury-car competition increasingly revolves around software, driver assistance, cabin technology, charging performance and frequent product updates alongside traditional measures such as leather quality, horsepower and badge recognition. Working with Huawei and JAC would allow Maserati to enter that technological ecosystem much more directly. It would also be a remarkable reversal in the flow of expertise. For decades, Chinese manufacturers sought European engineering and luxury know-how. Under the proposed structure, an established Italian marque would turn to Chinese companies for key technologies and industrial capabilities while contributing design, driving character and international brand equity.
Maserati Has Already Learned That an EV Badge Alone Is Not Enough
Maserati is not beginning its electric transition from scratch. Its Folgore portfolio already includes electric versions of the Grecale SUV, GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible, and the company refreshed those products in 2026. Maserati has continued improving electric range and efficiency while simultaneously upgrading its Nettuno V6-powered models. That mixed approach reflects a difficult reality in the luxury market: buyers interested in an electric Maserati do exist, but electrification by itself has not delivered the sales turnaround the company needs.
The sharpest example came in 2025, when Maserati cancelled the planned battery-electric version of its MC20 supercar. The company said projected demand was insufficient and that research indicated customers in the super-sports segment remained strongly attached to high-performance combustion engines. The cancelled MC20 Folgore illustrates why the Huawei project would need to be more than another expensive electric derivative. A successful new model would have to combine Maserati’s traditional strengths with technology compelling enough to reach customers who may not have considered the brand’s existing EVs. In that sense, Huawei’s potential role is less about converting Maserati to electricity than changing how it develops an electric car.
JAC and Huawei Already Have a Luxury-Car Test Case
The proposed partnership is less experimental than it might first appear because JAC and Huawei are already working together at the very top of China’s market. Their Maextro S800 flagship sedan launched in May 2025 with prices ranging from 708,000 yuan to 1.018 million yuan. JAC says the car uses Huawei’s ADS 4 driver-assistance system, alongside a sophisticated sensor package and other digital technologies. The vehicle is manufactured at the dedicated Maextro facility in Hefei, the same industrial ecosystem that could reportedly play a role in the future Maserati project.
More importantly, customers have demonstrated willingness to buy it. JAC reported in May 2026 that cumulative S800 deliveries had exceeded 18,500 units since launch. Even allowing for the very different nature of the Chinese market, that figure offers striking context beside Maserati’s 7,900 worldwide shipments during all of 2025. It does not prove that the same formula would succeed with a Maserati badge in Europe or the Middle East, but it does show that Huawei and JAC have already taken a jointly developed product into a price bracket traditionally dominated by established luxury marques.
Stellantis Already Has a Playbook for Deep Chinese Partnerships
A Maserati deal would also fit a broader Stellantis strategy rather than representing the group’s first major embrace of Chinese EV expertise. In 2023, Stellantis committed about €1.5 billion for roughly 21% of Leapmotor and subsequently established Leapmotor International, a joint venture owned 51% by Stellantis and 49% by Leapmotor. The arrangement gives the joint venture exclusive rights to sell and manufacture Leapmotor vehicles outside Greater China, combining Chinese vehicle development with Stellantis’ manufacturing and distribution footprint.
That partnership has continued expanding. Stellantis said in May 2026 that Leapmotor International had grown to more than 850 European sales and service locations and generated more than 40,000 European shipments during 2025. The companies are also exploring deeper manufacturing, sourcing and vehicle-development cooperation. That history matters for Maserati because it shows Stellantis is comfortable separating brand ownership from the origin of technology, components or engineering expertise when management believes it can reduce costs and accelerate development. The difference is the badge involved: applying a comparable philosophy to Maserati tests whether such industrial pragmatism can work in the far more emotionally driven luxury market.
December Could Reveal How Much of Maserati’s Future Will Come From China
Stellantis has stopped short of confirming the details appearing in Chinese media. When reports of talks with Huawei and JAC intensified, the company said discussions with industry participants are part of its normal business activities. Reuters separately reported in early September that Stellantis was in talks with both companies over long-term industrial cooperation involving Maserati. Earlier, CEO Antonio Filosa told Italian lawmakers that Stellantis was evaluating two potential technology partners and reiterated that Maserati and the Cassino plant were not for sale.
The clearest official milestone now comes in December 2026, when Stellantis has promised a detailed Maserati roadmap in Modena. Its broader strategic plan already says Maserati will remain a “pure luxury” brand and receive two new E-segment vehicles. Whether those two official future models are connected directly to the Huawei-JAC projects has not been confirmed. Until details are announced, questions remain over final engineering responsibility, manufacturing origin, software, pricing, regulatory approvals and how much Maserati-specific chassis development will occur in Italy. What is clear is that the old formula has not delivered enough volume. Maserati’s next reinvention may therefore depend on combining Italian identity with a Chinese technology base in a way the luxury industry has rarely attempted.
