Maserati Wants To Build Cars In China: Report

Six years ago, Maserati said it would develop, engineer, and build all of its new models in Italy. The brand laid out an ambitious electrification plan, but it hasn’t really worked. Since then, sales have collapsed—now a report alleges that the automaker will partner with Chinese companies to build future Maserati models.

According to CnEVPost, citing a Yunjian Insight report, Stellantis is discussing with Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC) the possibility of jointly developing and building new energy vehicles for Maserati. The partnership would result in a vehicle produced in different versions for different markets.  

According to the report, each collaborator will play a different part. JAC will provide R&D and produce the vehicle using core technologies from Huawei, with the car designed and branded by Maserati. The cars will be branded as Maseratis outside of China and wear Maextro badging domestically.  

Maextro is a luxury brand in China. Late last year, it built its 10,000th Maextro S800 sedan, which has a starting price of just over $100,000. It is a battery-electric vehicle available with a range extender, which at least aligns with Maserati’s electrification plans.

Maserati’s Future

“People familiar with the matter” told the publication that research and development is already underway despite no formal agreement between the companies. Talks between the parties allegedly began early last year, possibly around the same time Maserati had to refute additional claims that Stellantis was trying to sell it.  

We will likely learn more about Stellantis’ plan for the Italian brand at the company’s investor day on May 21. That is when company CEO Antonion Filosa will lay out his vision for the automotive conglomerate after taking over for Carlos Tavares, who left in December 2024 due to poor performance.  

Maserati, like other Stellantis brands, did not excel under Tavares. Sales for the brand collapsed by 57 percent in 2024, from 26,600 cars sold in 2023 to just 11,300 the following year. Sales ticked down in 2025 to 11,127 units.  

Those numbers look abysmal compared to Maserati’s 2017 sales, which peaked at 49,000 vehicles. If Stellantis wants to get anywhere close to those numbers again, it has to do something to elevate the brand’s perception among consumers.  

Motor1’s Take: Like some other Stellantis brands, Maserati feels forgotten. The brand’s attempt to woo high-end buyers with electrification did not work, and it makes us wonder whether Maserati even has a future in the current automotive landscape, which is facing increasing pressure from tariffs and Chinese competition.