Stellantis is looking in China for a way to get Maserati out of one of the biggest crises in its recent history. The automotive group is in talks with Huawei and JAC Group to establish a long-term industrial cooperation that would allow the relaunch of the historic Italian luxury brand, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations who confirmed to Reuters. On the table is an alliance that could incorporate technology developed by Huawei, industrial capabilities from JAC, and the commercial prestige of Maserati, at a time when its sales have fallen to levels not seen in over a decade.
The negotiations are in an advanced phase, although Stellantis has not yet announced any definitive agreement and neither Huawei nor JAC have publicly confirmed the terms of the talks. The European manufacturer does admit that it regularly maintains contacts with different companies in the industry, and its CEO, Antonio Filosa, had hinted months ago that the group was working on new manufacturing alliances, including one specifically aimed at Maserati.
From more than 50,000 cars to less than 8,000
The urgency is explained by the numbers. Maserati delivered 7,900 vehicles in 2025, compared to 11,300 in 2024, which represents a decrease of 30.1% in just twelve months. Its revenues fell by a practically identical proportion, from 1,040 to 726 million euros, while the company recorded adjusted operating losses of 198 million, with a negative margin of 27.3%. Stellantis itself attributes part of the decline to lower demand for models like the Grecale and the Levante, in addition to the price reductions associated with inventory liquidation in North America and China.
The historical comparison reflects the deterioration even better. In 2017 Maserati delivered around 51,500 vehicles worldwide and still in 2023 it was at 26,600 units. A year later it plummeted to 11,300 and in 2025 it lost almost a third of that volume again, a decline that has left a company designed to compete in the luxury segment with extremely reduced production figures.
The technology of Huawei comes into play
One of the central elements of the conversations would be the possible use of Harmony Intelligent Mobility, the technological ecosystem developed by Huawei for the connected car. The Chinese company has become in recent years one of the most significant players in the new automotive industry of its country, not so much as a traditional car manufacturer, but as a provider of software, intelligent driving systems, electronics, and digital solutions integrated into vehicles.
According to the information known so far, the operation could go even beyond the supply of technology. The possibility of jointly developing a car that would be marketed under the Maextro brand, belonging to the luxury project promoted by JAC and Huawei, in China and as Maserati in other markets is being studied. The first model arising from the cooperation could arrive before the end of 2027, although the final design of the alliance is still pending closure.
An alliance to fill the Italian factories
The agreement would also have an industrial reading especially sensitive in Italy. Stellantis expects that cooperation for Maserati will increase the activity of the Cassino and Modena plants, where models of the brand are produced, at a time when the low utilization of the Italian factories has become one of the main political and industrial problems of the group. Filosa has already argued that any new partner for Maserati should contribute to increasing production volumes in the country.
The company is also going through a deep reorganization after several complicated years. Stellantis closed 2025 with 153.508 billion euros in revenue and net losses of 22.300 billion, weighed down by more than 25.000 billion in extraordinary charges linked, among other factors, to the revision of its product strategy. The group is now preparing an investment of 60.000 billion euros until 2030 and has positioned industrial alliances among the pillars of its new roadmap.
Maserati is not for sale
Despite the difficulties and the recurring speculations about a possible divestment, Stellantis insists that Maserati will continue to be part of the group. Filosa publicly ruled out a sale of the company in June and defined the brand as one of the central assets of its strategy in the luxury segment. Maserati plans to present its own future plan in December, after having updated part of its range this year and while preparing a new generation of the Grecale SUV for 2027.
The eventual alliance with Huawei and JAC therefore poses a different formula to a sale: to use Chinese technology and industrial capacity to rebuild a century-old Italian brand without parting with it. For Stellantis, it represents the possibility of accelerating the development of connected vehicles and reducing costs; for Huawei and JAC, a gateway to one of the historic names of the European automobile and its international network.
The agreement still needs to materialize and its conditions may change, but the direction of the negotiations reflects how much the global balance of the automobile has changed. Maserati, a symbol for decades of Italian engineering and luxury, is now seeking in the Chinese technology industry part of the answer to the crisis that threatens its future.