Maserati could be sold to foreign ownership

According to recent reports, Italy may soon lose an important piece of its historic automotive heritage to the Asian market.
The luxury brand Maserati has reportedly caught the attention of Chinese automotive giant Dongfeng Motor Corporation.

Dongfeng is not a new name to Stellantis, the current owner of the Trident brand. The Chinese manufacturer is already a partner of the group for the distribution of models in the Far Eastern market.

Dongfend as possible buyers

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Dongfeng is one of China’s four major state-owned car manufacturers. With 671,000 vehicles sold in 2023, it ranks as the smallest among the “Big Four”, behind SAIC Motor, Changan Automobile, and FAW Group.

The Chinese conglomerate develops and markets cars under its own brands. They include M-Hero, Voyah, Aeolus, Nammi, and Forthing, as well as through joint ventures with leading foreign manufacturers such as Honda, Nissan, and Peugeot-Citroën. In 2021, as much as 79% of Dongfeng’s total sales came from foreign-branded vehicles.

In addition to producing commercial and consumer vehicles, Dongfeng also manufactures components. They collaborate with several international companies in the automotive sector.

At the moment, Stellantis appears to have denied any plans of selling or entertaining acquisition talks, dismissing alleged approaches by Dongfeng to purchase a significant stake in the company.
However, Maserati’s situation remains far from ideal. The Trident brand’s sales have been sluggish, raising concerns about the company’s long-term viability.

Maserati: collapsing sales in 2024

Production has been moving slowly as well. In the first half of 2025, the Mirafiori plant produced just 140 cars. Later, Stellantis decided to move production of the GranTurismo and GranCabrio to Modena, where only 45 cars were built in the same period. This in the period of only 11 active production days.

One of the last Maserati models was given to the Italian army Carabinieri some days ago Delivery of Two new Stellantis Supercars to the Carabinieri

The situation is only slightly better at the Cassino. There around 2,500 units of the Grecale SUV were assembled between January and June 2025.

The company’s financial troubles are confirmed by the numbers. In 2024, Maserati recorded losses of €701 million, a sharp decline compared to the €96 million deficit posted in 2023.

According to Milano Finanza, which had access to the company’s financial statements, Maserati’s 2024 revenue fell by 60.6%, down to €803.3 million. This collapse mirrors the drop in registrations, which plunged 58.8%, totaling just over 10,000 vehicles.