It might not be the Quattroporte you expect.
The next Maserati sedan could actually roll off a Chinese production line. That is the rumor at least. Sources say Maserati is in deep talks with JAC Motors and Huawei to build an export-bound EV. The timeline points to 2027.
Wait.
Who are these players? JAC and Huawei formed a joint luxury venture called Maextro. It sounds futuristic. It is selling out in China right now. The brand’s first car, the Maextro S800, has beaten the S-Class. The 7 Series. Even the A8. Not by much maybe, but enough to matter.
The deal structure is odd. Maserati would lend its name and design approval. Huawei provides the brain. JAC builds the body. Then you get two cars from the same parts bin. One gets the Maextro badge for Chinese shoppers. The other wears the Trident and gets exported.
Electric. Or range-extended with that small 1.5L turbo acting as a generator. Either way. It plugs in.
Is this a rescue mission?
Probably.
Maserati is bleeding cash. Global sales hit 11,126 units last year. Down from nearly 27k in 2022. In China? Fewer than 1,000 units sold in a market of 30 million. Pathetic numbers. Meanwhile, Lamborghini sold 10k cars. Ferrari did well. McLaren kept the machine humming. Maserati is the runt.
Stellantis isn’t sure if it wants to keep the Italian crown jewel. They talked about selling it to Xiaomi. XPeng. BYD checked in too. Stella Li said the brand was “interesting.” No action though. Just talk.
But now they have a plan. Use China’s speed against the problem.
“Talks have been ongoing since early 25.”
That is Yinjian Insight’s word for it. The project is “well progressed.” Which in car terms usually means the clay model isn’t even built yet.
Recall the mess with the original electric Quattroporte? Stellantis delayed the Folgore from 25 to 28. Then rumors surfaced about a PHEV powertrain instead. That timing matches the new Chinese car perfectly. Maybe they aren’t launching a car in Italy at all. Maybe they’re launching one in Nanjing and calling it Maserati for everyone else.
It works for Peugeot now. Stellantis is already building Peugeots in China for global export. A partnership with Leapmotor? Sure. But Leapmotor makes boxy crossovers. Not hyper-luxury sedans. Huawei has the ADAS chops. They know how to make cars feel like magic boxes.
So why Maextro?
Space.
The Maextro S8 is huge. Over 5 meters. There is a gap right below it. The last Quattroporte measured 5,266 mm. That slot is open. Maextro has the S8. They will have a V8 MPV soon. But that sweet spot between mass market and ultra-exclusive? It is waiting for a new Trident.
A rhetorical question perhaps:
Why let Huawei write the soul of a Maserati?
Traditionalists will hate it. Purists will quit. But shareholders might like seeing sales jump from 1k to 5k in the world’s biggest market.
No official announcement has landed. Just whispers. The details are thin. Will it be a sedan? Probably. Will it have a gas engine generator? Maybe. What matters is the shift in power. Rome isn’t calling the shots anymore.
Or maybe it never really was.
The Trident points forward. Even if it’s being dragged by Chinese code and JAC assembly arms. That might be the point.
