DgcityMaserati, the Italian luxury brand owned by Stellantis, is moving toward an unusual survival plan: handing the engineering of its next electric vehicles to Huawei and a Chinese state-backed carmaker while contributing little more than its design heritage and global dealer network. The arrangement illustrates how thoroughly the balance of power in the auto industry has shifted toward Chinese technology providers.
Under the plan, Stellantis is working with Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, known as JAC, to jointly develop Maserati electric vehicles. Huawei supplies the technology, including a HarmonyOS-based smart cockpit and its Qiankun intelligent-driving system; JAC handles engineering and production at its plant in Hefei; Maserati provides the exterior design and access to its international sales channels. Two vehicles are under discussion: a mid-to-large electric SUV and a large luxury electric coupe.
People familiar with the talks say the design has already been finalized, with further progress toward mass production expected in the fourth quarter of 2027. Stellantis is scheduled to lay out a detailed roadmap for Maserati at an event in Modena, Italy, in December. JAC first disclosed its work with Huawei and Stellantis in a stock-exchange filing on September 30.
The urgency reflects Maserati’s straitened position. The brand sold only about 7,900 vehicles globally in 2025, down roughly 30 percent from the year before, and it posted an operating loss on revenue that had shrunk to 726 million euros. Its existing electrified lineup lacks the in-car software and driver-assistance features that wealthy Chinese buyers now treat as standard on vehicles priced above 500,000 yuan. European brands from Mercedes-Benz to BMW have spent years scrambling to catch up with Chinese cabin software; Maserati has concluded it cannot close that gap alone.
The deal also crowns the rapid rise of Huawei’s car business. Through its partnership with JAC, the company already sells the large Zunjie S800 sedan, a model aimed at the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class that has led China’s above-700,000-yuan sedan segment for ten straight months. Pairing that proven operation with one of the most famous names in luxury motoring would give Huawei a foothold in a market tier it has not yet entered on its own.
The arrangement carries real risks. Selling one car under a Chinese badge at home and another under the Maserati name abroad, across two regulatory environments and separate after-sales networks, has no proven playbook, and purists may question a Maserati whose software, drivetrain and assembly line are all Chinese. For the broader industry, though, the direction of travel is clear: even Italy’s glamour marques now need Chinese engineering to keep selling cars in China.
