Maserati is currently going through a very complicated period, and what it plans to do may not drastically increase sales, but it could at least generate more interest around the brand. 

In an interaction with Autocar UK, Cristiano Fiorio, the head of Maserati’s bespoke cars division, Bottegafuoriserie, said that there is demand for high-end ICE supercars with a manual gearbox- an experience not a lot of high-end carmakers are delivering these days. As such, it is willing to revisit this format. 

“Mainly 50% of our [Bottegafuoriserie] customers demand a manual gearbox and a petrol engine. We can say they are retro-seekers. The day we will be ready to present a new program for Bottega for Maserati, I hope it will be one day soon in the future. The answer is yes, I believe we will have to have a manual gearbox as well in our offering for a Bottega product.”

Davide Danesin, the engineering head at Maserati, also reinforced Florio’s comments, agreeing that there is indeed demand for pure combustion-engined supercars, as there is a “bad feeling” about battery electric cars due to their added weight and lack of enthusiasm.

This is particularly interesting, given that Maserati was among those heavily pushing for battery electric vehicles. 

Moreover, the carmaker had plans to produce an all-electric version of the MCPura (known as the MC20 previously), which were eventually canceled. That said, Maserati has two electric vehicles joining the lineup in the future: an SUV and what appears to be a grand tourer.

Based on multiple other reports, the top brass at Maserati has hinted at a highly exclusive flagship car in the near future, which could make use of synergies with Alfa Romeo, as has been the case multiple times in the past. The 8C Competizione and the 4C sports coupe are some examples of the past. 

More recently, the 2023 33 Stradale, which reimagines the original two-door Alfa Romeo from 1967, shares its underpinnings. That said, while Maserati is certainly considering the idea of a manual ICE sports car, it has not given a timeline for when we will see it. 

Antonio Filosa: “Maserati is not for sale, for sure"

Maserati was notably missing from the presentations at the 2026 Stellantis Investor Day. In the event, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa had said that the brand deserves a separate dedicated discussion that will take place in December, given its role as a pure luxury player in the umbrella. 

There have been rumours since 2025 that Stellantis was considering divesting Maserati entirely, given its low sales volumes. On many occasions, Stellantis has been affirmative that it has no plans to do so, but after former CEO Carlos Tavares’s departure, there were reports that suggested it had hired McKinsey to evaluate and consider all options. 

However, Stellantis has once again addressed the issue. In an interaction with Reuters, Filosa said that Stellantis is choosing between “two important partners” for Maserati’s long-term future, but he was clear that it is not letting go of the brand anytime soon, saying, “Maserati is not for sale, for sure." 

Read more at Motor Culture! 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason