The next Maserati Quattroporte could be made in China, with the Italian brand reportedly in talks with Chinese tech giant Huawei and automaker JAC to build an electric vehicle (EV) in China.
According to CNEVPost, Chinese media outlet Yinjian Insight reported Maserati owner Stellantis has been working with Huawei and JAC to produce an export model made by Chinese luxury brand, Maextro, due to be launched sometime in 2027.
Maextro is a partnership between JAC, known in Australia for its T9 and Hunter PHEV dual-cab utes, and tech company Huawei, which makes advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for vehicles.
The brand launched its first model in 2025, the full-size Maextro S800 luxury sedan, which topped large sedan sales in China so far this year, outselling the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8. It’s offered as either a pure-electric model, or as an extended-range electric vehicle with a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine acting as a generator.
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Maserati would design and ‘endorse’ the vehicle, according to the report, with Huawei to lead development and provide core technologies, while JAC will be responsible for manufacturing.
Two versions are reportedly planned: a Maextro-badged model to be sold in China, with export versions presented as a Maserati.
Details on whether the vehicle would be a sedan, which appears likely, or another body style are unclear, nor are specifics on the powertrain, with electric and extended-range electric powertrains potentially in line.
No official announcements have been made by any of the companies involved, with Yinjian Insight saying the talks had been ongoing since early 2025 and are well progressed.
Maserati previously announced in 2023 it would launch an electric Quattroporte ‘Folgore’ (lightning in Italian) sedan in 2025, as it moved to drop internal combustion engines across its lineup.
The brand subsequently confirmed in 2024 it was postponing the new flagship’s launch to 2028, with reports indicating in 2025 Maserati was looking at plug-in hybrid power for the next Quattroporte. The new Chinese model’s reported arrival as soon as 2027 roughly coincides with this previously reported launch timing.
It comes as Maserati has suffered significant losses, with repeated reports the storied Italian brand is to be off-loaded by Stellantis, including interest from Xpeng and Xiaomi.
BYD, too, has shown interest, with executive vice president Stella Li telling Automotive News the Maserati brand was “very interesting”, adding: “We keep on studying. But we did not have any action on that.”
The comments came as Automotive News reported Stellantis was negotiating with Chinese brands to make use of excess manufacturing capacity at its European factories, including its Cassino plant in Italy where the Grecale SUV is produced.
Globally, Maserati sold only 11,127 vehicles in 2025, compared to 14,725 the previous year and 26,689 in 2023. Its 264 sales in Australia last year were down from 377 in 2024 and 638 in 2023.
In China, where more than 30 million new vehicles were sold last year – nearly twice as many as the next-biggest market (the United States) – Maserati sold fewer than 1000 vehicles.
By comparison, with its single S800 model, Maextro sold 1142 vehicles in April 2026 alone, and leads the class with 5465 sales between January and April 2026.
Making matters worse, brands including Ferrari and McLaren posted strong global sales, while Lamborghini chalked up a record result for its fifth consecutive year with 10,747 vehicles sold.
Maserati was not one of the four key brands – Peugeot, Ram, Fiat and Jeep – Stellantis said it would channel the majority of its investment into as part of its revised global strategy.
In a similar move, Stellantis announced last month it would manufacture Peugeot models in China for export markets potentially including Europe and Australia.
Stellantis has a joint venture with Leapmotor, and Opel/Vauxhall is developing a new model based on hardware from the Chinese automaker. However, Leapmotor has no experience in the luxury car market, which likely explains why Stellantis has looked further afield for a partner to develop new Maserati models.
Maextro will soon introduce another model, the luxurious V800 people mover, while there’s still space for a Quattroporte-sized model under the 5.48m-long S800. The last Quattroporte was 5266mm long.