In 2017, Maserati was a roaring symbol of Italian success in China, delivering nearly 14,500 vehicles to a market that couldn’t get enough of the Trident’s operatic exhaust notes. Fast forward to today, and the brand is barely moving 1,000 units a year. It has been a decade defined by a masterclass in how to misread a market: an electrification strategy that moved with the speed of a tectonic plate. In the high-speed world of Chinese NEVs, Maserati has become a technological fossil.
Enter the rumored Maextro salvation. According to Yunjian Insight, Huawei, JAC, and Stellantis are currently in the smoke-filled room stage of developing a joint venture for alternative energy vehicles. The blueprint is the HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) framework. Huawei provides the brain and the tech, JAC handles the heavy lifting of R&D and production, and Maserati? Well, Maserati provides the badge, a bit of Italian flair in the styling, and the heavy burden of marketing a brand that has been hemorrhaging prestige.
The math behind this desperation is staggering. Stellantis is staring down the barrel of a €22.3 billion net loss for 2025, with Maserati’s global deliveries plummeting from 27,000 in 2023 to a measly 7,900 last year.
When your house is burning down, you don’t ask if the firefighters speak Italian; you just grab the nearest hose. Huawei has already proven it can sell luxury at scale. Its Maextro S800, priced north of $100,000, has already moved over 16,000 units and features an 896-channel LiDAR that belongs in a sci-fi flick.
If the deal closes, the plan is to launch mass production by late 2026. Domestic models will wear the “Maextro” nameplate, while the export versions will keep the Trident. But as Stellantis doubles down on its “Leapmotor strategy”, Maserati fans are left with a haunting question. When you peel back the gorgeous Italian leather and the carbon fiber trim to find a chassis and software stack engineered entirely in Shenzhen, what exactly is left of the soul of Modena?
