Maextro weighs SUV sub-brand as Maserati talks remain unsigned

By Grace Kim

400,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan — about $59,500 at the lower end — is the possible price band for models under a Maextro SUV-focused sub-brand, Cailian said Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The report used an exchange rate of 6.7188 yuan per dollar.

Huawei and automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. (JAC) jointly developed Maextro. Maextro may launch the additional sub-brand to broaden the lineup beyond the S800 sedan and the V680 and V800 range-extended multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs).

The source provided no sub-brand name, launch date, production volume, factory location or capacity. The person familiar said specific details were “yet to be finalized,” and the sub-brand remains separate from the Maserati collaboration.

What does the price band change for buyers?

If vehicles reach that range, the sub-brand’s top price would remain below the V680’s launch starting price of 648,000 yuan. That would give Maextro a lower-priced route instead of holding its new models above its existing range.

Maextro is the most upmarket brand under Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA). Its current products establish three price anchors:

• S800 sedan: Launched in May 2025 and currently priced from 728,000 yuan to 1,018,000 yuan.
• V680 range-extended MPV: Launched August 5 at a starting price of 648,000 yuan.
• V800 range-extended MPV: Launched August 5 at a starting price of 766,000 yuan.

What is the status of the Maserati collaboration?

Cailian also cited earlier market rumors that Stellantis, the parent of Maserati, and Huawei were nearing a deal with JAC. Those accounts envisaged two new battery-electric models built at the Maextro factory.

Local outlet Yunjian Insight reported in May that Huawei, JAC, Stellantis and Maserati were in talks to develop Maserati-branded new energy vehicles (NEVs). The proposed arrangement would follow the model used by the five brands under Huawei’s HIMA business, according to Yunjian.

Yunjian expected the first model to enter mass production in the second half of 2027. That timing and the two-model factory plan remain separate from the proposed SUV sub-brand.

JAC’s Sept. 30 filing gave the clearest status, confirming that the automaker had discussed potential cooperation with Huawei and Stellantis. JAC said neither the scope nor the structure had been determined, no legally binding definitive agreement had been signed, and further progress “remained subject to significant uncertainty.”

What should readers watch next?

Watch for an official sub-brand name, launch date and production schedule; the source provides no capacity target or model count. The reported 400,000-500,000 yuan band still rests on an unnamed source and should not be treated as an approved price list.

For the Maserati project, the next tests are a binding agreement, a defined vehicle and factory plan, and evidence supporting the second-half-2027 production target. Until JAC signs and discloses those terms, neither project has a confirmed launch schedule or capacity milestone.

For buyers, the practical effect is potential access to a Maextro product below the V680, not a confirmed product plan. The Maserati expansion remains a nonbinding negotiation, and Maextro’s production data will provide the check on both claims.