Maserati's roots are unmistakably Italian. Founded in 1914 by the six Maserati brothers in Bologna, Italy, the brand has never strayed from its homeland, although that's not to say that the brand has enjoyed a simple existence. Today, and much like how they have been for the last 80 years, Maserati's headquarters are in Modena, a city that also plays host to several other high-performance marques, chiefly Ferrari. 2025 sees Maserati cars such as the GranTurismo and GranCabrio coming out of its historic
Viale Ciro Menotti plant in the city. The fact that every Maserati, from the flagship MC20 through to the practical Levante, which we test-drove and reviewed in 2022, still rolls out of an Italian factory is a rarity in an era of globalized car production, and surely a solid selling point for fans of the brand.
As for who currently owns Maserati, that would be Stellantis. This automotive giant was born in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot SA. Maserati changed hands more than once before its current ownership, passing from the founding brothers to the Orsi family in 1937, then through several other owners before Fiat Chrysler took control in 1993. The current setup sees Maserati operate alongside other Stellantis brands, such as Jeep, Peugeot, and Alfa Romeo -- another storied Italian automaker.
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Maserati's History And Its Links To Ferrari
Maserati's path to Stellantis ownership has been anything but straightforward. The Orsi family's stewardship saw Maserati celebrate wins in the legendary Targa Florio street races during the 1930s, in addition to success at the Indianapolis 500 around the same time. Shortly after, in 1940, Maserati's headquarters moved to Modena, and it was here that the company weathered decades of transitions and financial struggles before Fiat Chrysler took the reins. In '97, Fiat sold a controlling share of Maserati to Ferrari, before reclaiming it less than 10 years later. While it was brief, this era would be one that influenced Maserati's cars for decades.
One of the most noticeable Ferrari fingerprints was under the hood. During Ferrari's ownership from 1997 to 2005, most Maserati models had Ferrari-built engines. Even after Fiat regained control of Maserati, contracts kept Ferrari as the brand's engine supplier, and many enthusiasts loved the pairing.
While Ferrari-derived engines were surely a great selling point, Ferrari confirmed it would stop supplying Maserati with engines in 2019. The move ended a long-running collaboration but opened the door for Maserati to bring engine production fully in-house. It was at this point that Maserati developed the Nettuno engine, one of the most powerful engines in production today. It was a smart new engine packing F1 technology, demonstrating that Maserati engines could still impress even once the prancing horse had trotted on.
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