BYD is not buying Maserati. The overhyped rumor of a Chinese takeover of the historic Italian Trident has been thoroughly suffocated by Stella Li, the executive vice president of the Shenzhen-based tech giant. Speaking to Les Echos, Li politely described Maserati as “truly splendid”, which is corporate speak for “nice, but we aren’t touching it”.
According to Li, there are absolutely no negotiations on the table with Stellantis. It is a fundamental identity crisis. Li dropped a rhetorical reality check that double-clutched right through the hype: “Wouldn’t that take us too far from our identity?”. BYD views itself primarily as a cutting-edge technology powerhouse, obsessing over batteries, software, and aggressive vertical integration. Maserati, meanwhile, operates on a completely different frequency, fueled by old-school Modenese heritage, roaring internal combustion ghosts, and high-maintenance luxury craftsmanship. Shoving a Modena trident into a Shenzhen spreadsheet simply makes zero sense.
The sentiment is perfectly mirrored across the Alps. Antonio Filosa, the CEO of Stellantis, marched into Rome’s parliament to aggressively declare before the Chamber of Deputies that Maserati is absolutely “not for sale”. So, the Great Chinese Acquisition fairy tale is officially dead, and the rumors are destined to lose their grip on reality.
However, do not expect total silence from the garage. Stellantis is currently scrambling to draft a last-minute turnaround plan for the struggling luxury brand, expected by the end of the year. In this frantic corporate scramble, industrial partnerships are bound to take center stage. Filosa dropped a few breadcrumbs, hinting at ongoing negotiations with two unnamed, mysterious power players capable of injecting fresh technology and development capacity into the brand.
While BYD will not be writing a massive check to own the Trident, it could easily stick around in Maserati’s orbit as a high-tech component and battery supplier. Maserati desperately needs the help, considering its sales volumes have recently cratered and its industrial targets have vanished into thin air. The buyout rumors are over, but the quiet backroom deals to keep Maserati alive are just getting started.
