Maserati Just Made a Deal With Huawei... And I'm Not Sure How I Feel About It

I need you to sit down for this one. Grab your coffee. Maybe grab something stronger.

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Because the news dropping out of China right now about Maserati is the kind of story that makes my heart race and my stomach turn at the same time. My goodness, what a combination.

Here's the deal. Maserati, the legendary Italian brand that's been struggling to find its footing for what feels like forever, is reportedly teaming up with Huawei and a Chinese manufacturer called JAC to build not one, but TWO brand new electric vehicles. We're talking a mid to large sized electric SUV, and a full blown electric GT. I'm telling you folks, this is not a rumor floating around some random forum anymore. Multiple outlets in China are now saying the deal is basically locked in.

Let that sink in for a second.

The GT is the one that has me leaning forward in my chair. It's shaping up to be the spiritual successor to the GranTurismo Folgore, and word on the street is Maserati is actually prioritizing this one over the SUV. Why does that matter? Because a GT is pure Maserati DNA. It's about driving feel, about that Italian design language that makes you stop and stare in a parking lot. If they're putting their real energy into the GT first, that tells me somebody at Maserati still remembers what this brand is supposed to be.

Meanwhile the SUV is going to slot in above the current Grecale, giving Maserati a bigger, badder electric option to sit alongside the Grecale Folgore.

Now here's where things get absolutely wild.

Huawei isn't just slapping their logo on the hood and calling it a day. They're bringing their full HIMA platform to the table. That's their Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance system, and it includes their Qiankun self driving tech, the electric powertrain hardware, and a smart cockpit setup that's honestly some of the most advanced tech coming out of China right now. JAC Motors handles the engineering and the actual building of these things. And Maserati... Maserati's job is design and selling the finished product.

Read that again.

The company that builds the engines everyone dreams about is outsourcing the engineering and the guts of the car to a Chinese automaker and a phone company. Absolute madness, right?

And here's my honest friend to friend warning, because you know I'm never going to sugarcoat things for you. These same underlying vehicles are reportedly going to be built and sold in China under a completely different badge called Maextro, which is JAC's luxury joint venture brand with Huawei. So somewhere out there, a Maextro customer in Shanghai could be driving essentially the same bones as the Maserati sitting in a showroom in Miami. That is going to sting for a lot of die hard Maserati loyalists, and I get it. Part of what you pay for with a Trident badge is the idea that it's pure, unfiltered Italy from the ground up.

But before you throw your hands up, here's the twist that actually gives me some hope.

The plan isn't to just ship complete cars straight out of a Chinese factory with an Italian sticker on them. From what's being reported, the bodies get built over in Hefei, China, but then they make their way to Italy, to the historic Cassino and Modena plants, where the luxury interiors get installed and the final calibration happens. So there IS real Italian hands on this thing before it ever reaches you. It's not the full "Made in Italy" story we're used to, but it's not nothing either.

I'll be straight with you though. Maserati sales have absolutely collapsed over the past year. This partnership isn't happening because everything's going great and Maserati just felt like experimenting. This is a lifeline. Stellantis needs this brand to survive, and apparently the fastest way to modern electric tech and a competitive price point right now runs straight through Chinese manufacturing and Chinese software.

So how do I actually feel about all this?

Honestly... conflicted. I want Maserati to survive. I want that Trident to keep meaning something for another hundred years. If borrowing Huawei's brain and JAC's factory floor is what it takes to get there, I can live with that. But I'll be watching very closely to see if that GT still feels like a Maserati when you're actually behind the wheel, or if it just feels like a Maextro wearing a costume.

Either way, this is going to be one of the biggest stories in the car world over the next year. I'll be right here keeping you updated every single step of the way.

Stay tuned, my friends.