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Maserati is one of Italy's most prestigious luxury automotive brands, founded on December 1, 1914, by Alfieri Maserati together with his brothers Ettore and Ernesto in Bologna, Italy. In 1939, the operational headquarters moved to Modena, where it remains to this day, located at Viale Ciro Menotti. The brand's iconic Trident logo was created by Mario Maserati, inspired by the Neptune Fountain in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore. Since it first adorned the Tipo 26 racing car in 1926, it has become one of the most recognizable symbols in the global automotive world.
As the exclusive ultra-luxury brand under the Stellantis Group, Maserati's core brand philosophy is "Outstanding by Design" (Unique by Design), making it the oldest brand in Italy's "Motor Valley." From 1997 to 2005, the brand was handed over to Ferrari management, deeply absorbing the sporting DNA and technical expertise of top-tier supercars, while continuing to navigate between independent operation and group resource integration.
In 2023, the Stellantis Group clearly positioned Maserati as a pure Italian luxury brand on the global ultra-luxury performance track in its mid-term strategy and introduced the Folgore electrification strategy ("Folgore" means "Lightning" in Italian), promising that all Maserati series would launch pure electric versions before 2028. However, the brand has faced severe performance challenges in recent years. Global deliveries in 2025 were only approximately 7,900 units (according to Stellantis financial report data) or 11,127 units (under a broader statistical scope)—a drop of more than 70% compared to 2023, marking the lowest record in over a decade. Revenue also fell from €1.04 billion in 2024 to €726 million, with an adjusted operating loss of €198 million, and the AOI profit margin deteriorating to -27.3%.
Maserati's century-long journey is a grand narrative of going from racing legend to road luxury, persistently kept alive through multiple ownership changes and technical shifts.
Founder's Era and Racing Glory
In 1914, the Maserati brothers established a company in Bologna, initially engaged in car modification and racing operations. In 1926, the first Tipo 26 racing car bearing the Trident logo won the class championship at the Targa Florio endurance race, marking the formal birth of the Maserati brand, and subsequently won the race four consecutive times. In 1939 to 1940, Maserati won the Indianapolis 500 Grand Prix for two consecutive years, becoming the track king spanning Europe and America. In 1957, legendary driver Juan Manuel Fangio drove the 250F racing car to win the F1 World Championship trophy for Maserati, pushing the Trident's racing spirit to the peak. In the latter half of the 20th century, the brand's focus gradually shifted from the track to the road, successively launching classic GT sports cars such as 3500 GT, Sebring, and Ghibli, establishing Italian luxury aesthetics.
Ownership Changes
In 1968, Maserati was acquired by Citroën, and afterwards moved through an Italian state-owned holding company and Fiat Group. In 1993, Fiat Group brought Maserati under its wing, and in 1997 handed it over to Ferrari management, opening a "Ferrari Heart" technological symbiosis period. Under Ferrari management, Maserati launched classics such as 3200 GT, Quattroporte President Series, and GranTurismo, significantly improving brand sales and technical strength. In 2005, Maserati left Ferrari management, returned directly to Fiat Group operation, and continued to launch high-performance models based on V8 engines provided by Ferrari.
Lineup Adjustment in Recent Years
Entering the 2020s, Maserati faced dual pressure of product replacement stagnation and traditional power shrinkage. In 2023, four-door sedans Ghibli and flagship Quattroporte were officially discontinued; in 2024, Levante SUV, which had been a sales pillar for eight years, was also announced to be withdrawn from the production line. Several years ago, due to Ferrari ceasing to supply V8 engines to it, Maserati turned to independently develop the Nettuno Neptune V6 twin-turbo engine, but the brand recognition of its "high-performance bloodline" encountered weakening.
In 2022, Maserati launched a new mid-size SUV Grecale. As the core sales relay vehicle after Levante discontinuation, market demand was far lower than expected. In December 2025, part of Grecale fuel versions were promoted at a low-price inventory clearance of over 300,000 yuan, reflecting the channel turnover crisis in the Chinese market. To cope with the sharp sales drop, Maserati accelerated strategic synergy with Alfa Romeo, also under Stellantis, deep cooperation in new car platform sharing and R&D resource integration to optimize cost structure. In 2026, Maserati enters the 111th anniversary of brand establishment and the 100th anniversary of the Trident logo, dual milestones. The year is officially defined as the "Year of the Trident".
Currently, Maserati's product line has been significantly streamlined to five core series: one SUV (Grecale), two supercars (MC20 & MC20 Cielo), and two luxury GT sports cars (GranTurismo & GranCabrio). Power routes cover three major technical paths: conventional internal combustion, mild hybrid, and Folgore pure electric. Product positioning upgrades from "Producing Luxury" to "Customized Scarcity".
Grecale: Mid-size Luxury SUV. Grecale is Maserati's best-selling model currently, positioned in the mid-size luxury SUV market. The 2026 Grecale offers 2.0T Mild Hybrid, 3.0T V6 Twin-Turbo (Nettuno Neptune Engine) and Grecale Folgore pure electric SUV three power versions. The US market entry version has abandoned the 2.0T four-cylinder engine with average user response, changing to a low-power version equipped with Nettuno V6 (385 horsepower), to strengthen competitiveness. The Grecale Folgore pure electric version is equipped with a 105kWh high-performance battery, WLTP range of 580 km, compatible with 150kW DC fast charging, can complete a charge supplement from 10% to 80% within 30 minutes.
MC20 Family: Mid-Engine Supercar. MC20 is the pinnacle of Maserati brand performance, equipped with independently developed 3.0-liter Nettuno Neptune V6 twin-turbo engine (630 horsepower, 730 N·m peak torque), Carbon Fiber Monocoque Body. In 2025, a convertible version MC20 Cielo was derived, adopting a foldable hardtop design, mechanical structure and performance data remain unchanged. In May 2026, MC20 Cielo won the Italian authoritative automotive media "Quattroruote" "2026 Innovative Model of the Year" award on the international stage. The MC20 series also derives track version MCXtrema (limited 62 units, 740 horsepower) and road legal race car GT2 Stradale (640 horsepower, limited 914 units). The latter two are Maserati's technical declaration to the top supercar market.
GranTurismo & GranCabrio: Luxury GT Sports Cars. GranTurismo (two-door hardtop) and GranCabrio (four-seat convertible) are the contemporary inheritance of Maserati GT Spirit, offering two power options: internal combustion version equipped with Nettuno V6 engine, Folgore pure electric version equipped with Three-Motor System, combined output up to 550 to 1,200 horsepower. GranCabrio Folgore, with a top speed of 290 km/h, is currently the world's fastest electric convertible. Given the flat sales performance of the two models, Maserati has started mid-cycle refresh work, with front bumper, grille and other styling details expected to update in 2026.
Customization and Limited Projects. Maserati is enhancing brand scarcity value through its "Fuoriserie" personalized customization project, currently about 80% of MC20 buyers choose Fuoriserie customization options. Stellantis launched a higher tier "BottegaFuoriserie" project in November 2025, integrating Maserati and Alfa Romeo on the same high-end customization platform, benchmarking industry standards such as Ferrari Special Projects and Lamborghini Ad Personam.
2025 was the most severe year for Maserati's market performance in over a decade. Global deliveries were only about 7,900 units (according to Stellantis's official financial report scope), down 30% from 11,300 units in 2024, and plummeted by more than 70% from 26,600 units in 2023. Brand net revenue slid from €1.04 billion to €726 million. Although the adjusted operating loss shrank to €198 million due to reduced R&D expenditure, the AOI profit margin fell sharply to -27.3%, reflecting weak net pricing in North America and the profit pressure brought by increased promotional intensity.
In comparison, Maserati's 2025 sales level was even lower than that of Ferrari (13,640 units) and Lamborghini (10,747 units), and its total global deliveries amounted to less than 11 days' worth of Porsche's sales. The direct reasons for the steep sales drop include: a significantly streamlined product line due to the discontinuation of the Levante and Ghibli, far lower than expected market demand for the Grecale, increased US import tariffs, and a clear weakening preference among Chinese consumers for traditional fuel luxury brands.
The Chinese market was the "hardest-hit area" of Maserati's decline. In 2017, Maserati's sales in China once reached approximately 14,400 units, and China was its largest single market in the world. By 2024, sales had dropped sharply to 1,228 units, and the decline continued in 2025; import volume from January to September was only 1,023 units, down another 3% year-on-year. Monthly sales once fell to 38 units, and the number of 4S dealerships in Beijing was reduced from three to one. Management changed the Greater China head three times between 2023 and 2025. At the end of 2025, under inventory pressure, dealers conducted an unprecedented "rock-bottom price" clearance of Grecale fuel and pure electric versions. A model with an official guide price of 650,800 RMB had a base car price as low as 388,800 RMB, severely damaging the brand's premium foundation.
Facing this difficult situation, Stellantis Group management explicitly denied rumors of selling Maserati but confirmed a deeper restructuring and downsizing for Maserati in early 2026. The group explicitly stated that it will not pursue sales scale but will instead strengthen brand positioning and increase scarcity as its core goals.
Maserati's powertrain strategy is experiencing a transformation from V8 "Ferrari Heart" to a diversified power architecture of self-developed V6 + hybrid + pure electric Folgore. Its core technical assets cover the following three major fields.
Nettuno (Neptune) Engine: Nettuno engine is completely independently designed, developed and manufactured by Maserati, equipped with dual-spark Pre-chamber Technology derived from F1 racing cars. 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo layout, can achieve 630 horsepower and 730 N·m torque on MC20 and MC20 Cielo, redline RPM up to 8,000 rpm. High-performance version after custom tuning (such as GT2 Stradale), power density can be raised to 640 horsepower. On the MCXtrema track, the same series engine can be further extracted to 740 horsepower. Nettuno engine is also widely applied in GranTurismo and Grecale Trofeo models, forming an "Italian exhaust note" barrier that cannot be replaced by four-cylinder mild hybrid, gradually filling the emotional void after Ferrari V8 exits.
Folgore Pure Electric Strategy: Folgore is the name of Maserati's electrification strategy released in 2022, aiming for full series models pure electric before 2028. Pure electric products launched include GranTurismo Folgore (two-door GT Electric version, adopting 400V voltage platform), Grecale Folgore (pure electric SUV, 105kWh battery) and GranCabrio Folgore (convertible electric sports car). Under its three-motor architecture, GranTurismo Folgore can provide system power of up to 1,200 horsepower, 0-100 km/h acceleration time is about 2.7 seconds, performance benchmarks Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
BottegaFuoriserie Customization: Maserati is increasing investment in its personalized customization business to pursue "creating higher profits with fewer sales". Stellantis Group integrates Maserati and Alfa Romeo's high-end customization resources into the "BottegaFuoriserie" project, not only providing ultimate personalized configuration for mass production new cars, but also covering restoration, certification and brand archive construction of classic cars. Maserati also promises large-scale transfer of high-performance technology developed on the track (such as aerodynamic and chassis tuning experience accumulated in GT2 races) to mass production special limited models.
Maserati's production, R&D, and sales network is highly concentrated in Italy, with overseas markets served primarily through complete vehicle exports. The brand has no overseas complete vehicle manufacturing base.
Italian Production Base: Maserati has two core factories in Modena, Italy. The Modena Factory on Viale Ciro Menotti was built in 1940 and remains the brand's headquarters and final assembly site for supercars such as the MC20, MC20 Cielo, and GT2 Stradale. Since the second half of 2024, GranTurismo series production lines have also been concentratedly moved from the Mirafiori Factory in Turin. The Mirafiori Factory in Turin has been repurposed to produce more entry‑level models under the Group, such as the Fiat 500 Hybrid. In 2025, the Modena Factory added a new R&D team comprising about 130 engineers and technicians to support the development of both current series and future pure electric vehicles.
Stellantis Group Synergy and Engine Independence: Maserati adopts a strategy of independent operation combined with resource synergy within the Stellantis Group system. The most profound change comes from the "separation of the Ferrari V8 heart": since Ferrari ceased supplying V8 engines to Maserati two to three years ago, Maserati has fully transitioned to its self‑developed Nettuno powertrain platform, breaking its technical dependence on external suppliers outside the Group. Maserati is also expanding resource integration with Alfa Romeo in areas such as new car platforms, transmissions, and electronic architectures, thereby reducing per‑vehicle R&D costs and improving procurement bargaining power.
Deep Adjustment in the Chinese Market: China was once Maserati's fastest‑growing overseas market, but with the sharp contraction in sales, Maserati is undergoing a structural reshaping of its Chinese business. The number of 4S dealerships in first‑tier cities such as Beijing has been reduced, and the regional management has been replaced three times. Since March 2025, Executive Zhu Li, who has over twenty years of experience in the global luxury car industry, succeeded as China Country Manager and was subsequently promoted to Head of the Asia‑Pacific Region, breaking the previous separate regional management mode. In 2026, Maserati has determined that the Chinese market will be a strategic key for "brand revival," with the focus on stabilizing selling prices and rebuilding brand reputation, rather than chasing sales volume.
The year 2026 marks a critical turning point in Maserati's brand trajectory. Facing dual pressures from market contraction and product iteration lag, Maserati has set a new strategic path centered on "fewer sales, higher value, and stronger personality."
"Year of the Trident" Brand Renewal: The year 2026 marks the 111th anniversary of Maserati's founding and the 100th anniversary of the Trident logo. The brand has defined this year as the "Year of the Trident," launching a global communications campaign built around three core spiritual pillars: "Fearless," "Italian Luxury," and "Track Performance." Activities include participating in the Brussels Motor Show and sponsoring the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics. The brand will rebuild its profitability through a rich offering of limited editions, special editions, and BottegaFuoriserie customization, with its focus fully shifting to high‑end scarcity.
2026–2028 Product Line Refresh: Over the next two to three years, Maserati's product planning will follow two parallel tracks: "quick refresh" and "platform update." Mid‑cycle refresh versions of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio are expected to debut in 2026, while the MC20 and Grecale will also receive annual updates and configuration optimizations. The new generation Levante (the first update in seven years) is planned to debut in 2027, filling the product gap in the high‑end mid‑to‑large SUV market. The new generation Quattroporte will be revived in 2028 and will also assume the market positioning of the original Ghibli.
Folgore Pure Electric Process Becomes More Cautious: Against the backdrop of slowing global EV demand and rising cost pressures, Maserati's CEO and parent company Stellantis are reconsidering the originally aggressive pure electric timeline. In the short term, the brand will no longer pursue a radical all‑models push into the pure electric market, but will instead adopt a more pragmatic rhythm of fuel‑hybrid‑pure electric coexistence. The 400V architecture GranTurismo pure electric version has already begun deliveries, while 800V and higher‑voltage solutions will be realized in the next‑generation Levante EV and flagship models.
Mid‑to‑Long‑Term Profitability: In its early‑2026 financial report, the Stellantis Group predicted that Maserati will achieve positive industrial free cash flow in 2027 and complete the replacement of its entire product line (both old and new) around 2028, refocusing on its core high‑profit niche market. Until that goal is reached, the brand will rely on MC20 limited editions, Bespoke customization, and GT product premiums to repair its profit margins. Former Maserati CEO Carlos Tavares once said: Maserati's problem is not product quality, but that it has not told the Italian "Dolce Vita" brand story well enough. As Maserati crosses the divide between a century of racing heritage and a market ice age, it is trying to use the next wave of internal combustion and electrification dual‑track resonance to let the Neptune Trident find the power to once again pierce the luxury market in a new era.
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