Maserati turns to China for help with its future EVs: You won’t believe which brand it’s talking to

Chinese ute maker JAC has been approached by Italy’s Maserati to help it gain a competitive advantage for its next generation of EVs.

JAC is best known in Australia for the T9 diesel ute and the newly launched Hunter plug-in dual cab.

But the Maserati link makes more sense when taken in the context of JAC’s association with the Chinese electronics giant Huawei, a gloval leader in driver assist systems.

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They have launched the luxury Maextro brand together and Maserati is reportedly keen to establish a joint-venture with JAC and Huawei to exploit the learnings.

An all-new seven-seat Maserati electric SUV is primed to be among the first beneficiaries of the new technical partnership, according to Chinese media.

The new luxury SUV likely to be twinned with a future model being developed by JAC/Huawei-owned Maextro brand that is scheduled to debut in 2027.

Maextro only launched its first model last year, the full-size Maextro S800 luxury sedan (pictured top) built to battle the Audi A8 and Mercedes S-Class.

The big limo is available with either a pure-electric powertrain or with an extended-range hybrid (EREV) that uses a small 1.5-litre turbo as a generator.

Full details of the new partnership have not been officially detailed, but it’s thought Maserati will design the new model, while Huawei will develop the component and engineering side. JAC would be tasked with manufacturing the new car.

The next generation Maserati Quattroporte large sedan, now delayed to 2028, is also part of the deal.

Originally, the all-new Quattroporte was supposed to have made its debut with an all-electric powertrain, but a plug-in hybrid powertrain is npow part of the plan.

With Maserati in financial trouble following significant losses and poor sales, some commentators have suggested the brand could be dumped altogether by parent Stellantis and sold off to a Chinese car-maker, with XPeng, Xiaomi and BYD all said to be in the mix as potential buyers.

At the same time, other outlets are reporting that Stellantis is keen to start selling off production lines at some of its factories to help Chinese brands avoid tariffs within Europe, with the Cassino plant in Italy, where the Grecale SUV is built, potentially at risk of being switched to another brand.

Last year Maserati sold just 11,127 cars, down from the 14,725 it made in 2023 and a long way off the 26,689 cars produced in 2023.