09:15 18-06-2026

Stellantis Looks for Maserati Allies: Going It Alone in Luxury Has Become Too Expensive

Stellantis is negotiating with two partners for Maserati cooperation. CEO Antonio Filosa says the brand is not for sale, but going it alone in luxury has become too expensive.

Maserati’s future is back on the table as Stellantis reshapes its strategy. CEO Antonio Filosa told a hearing in the Italian parliament that the group is negotiating with two potential partners for the Italian brand. The official line, however, hasn’t changed — Maserati is not for sale.

That caveat matters. After a slump in sales and a rethink of its EV roadmap, Maserati has been the subject of recurring rumors about a sale, a spin-off or deeper integration with Alfa Romeo. Now the focus is shifting to partnerships. For a premium marque that can mean shared technology, platforms, electronics, powertrains or manufacturing solutions — everything that’s too expensive to develop alone at low volumes.

Maserati’s problem isn’t the name. The brand has GranTurismo, GranCabrio, Grecale, MC20, a racing heritage and a strong Italian identity. But today’s luxury market is tougher: Porsche makes money on a broad lineup, Ferrari runs on scarcity and margin, Bentley and Lamborghini lean on larger groups, and Chinese premium EVs are pushing hard on technology and update speed. Maserati sits between them, looking too narrow and too expensive to go it alone.

Stellantis has already acknowledged that partnerships are becoming part of its overall strategy. For a group with 14 brands it’s nearly unavoidable: you can’t equally fund Fiat, Peugeot, Jeep, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Maserati when the market simultaneously demands electrification, software, ADAS, new platforms and lower costs. So the Maserati question isn’t “sell or not” — it’s “who do we share the costs and capabilities with.” Stellantis is structuring all new partnerships the same way — the group keeps a controlling 51% stake, just like in its joint ventures with Leapmotor and Dongfeng.

The EV chapter is especially sensitive. The early Folgore plan looked bold, but demand for pricey electric sports cars and GTs has been weaker than expected. A Maserati buyer doesn’t necessarily want to be the first tester of a new battery strategy. They want sound, character, status, a fast car for long trips and confidence that it won’t be technologically outdated in three years.

A partner can help exactly where Maserati is now exposed: software architecture, batteries, hybrid systems, autonomous features, low-volume manufacturing. But there’s a risk — too deep a tie-up could dilute what people actually pay for in the luxury segment. Maserati can’t become an expensive shell over someone else’s tech without losing its identity.

Against Alfa Romeo the picture gets even more delicate. The two Italian brands can share development, procurement and parts of their engineering, but they can’t end up as the same car in different wrappers. Alfa needs to stay the more driver-focused, more accessible one; Maserati — more luxurious, more grand-tourer, more emotional. Lose that distance and synergy quickly turns into internal competition.

Maserati will present its own strategy at a separate Capital Markets Day in December. That’s when it will become clear who Stellantis has actually chosen as a partner and how deep the cooperation will go. The real question now isn’t whether the trident stays on the hood. It’s whether Maserati can find an ally without losing what makes it Maserati.