Stellantis and Leapmotor Deepen Strategic Partnership: Expand European Production, Broaden Global Reach, and Strengthen Supply Chain Collaboration

Stellantis and Leapmotor announced an expansion of their strategic partnership. In October 2023, Stellantis acquired approximately a 21% stake in Leapmotor, becoming its single largest shareholder, and the two companies jointly established Leapmotor International, a joint venture in which Stellantis holds a 51% stake and Leapmotor holds 49%. The JV is responsible for the sales and production of Leapmotor vehicles outside Greater China. Over the past 18 months, Leapmotor International has established more than 850 sales and service outlets across Europe. Since launching the T03 and C10 models in 2024, vehicle shipments to Europe have exceeded 40,000 units in 2025. This year, the company further expanded operations into South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, with plans to enter the Mexican market in April 2026. The two partners will deepen collaboration in three key areas: First, they will enhance production capacity at Stellantis’ Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, Spain, evaluating the addition of a new production line to manufacture an all-new Opel C-segment pure-electric SUV, scheduled for mass production in 2028. Additionally, they plan to begin producing Leapmotor’s B10 C-segment SUV at the same facility as early as 2026. Currently, the plant produces the Peugeot 208 and Lancia Ypsilon and has historically manufactured over 10 million Opel Corsa vehicles. The new models will incorporate cost-competitive components supplied by Leapmotor International, helping reduce end-market pricing. Second, through Leapmotor International, the partners will pursue joint procurement, integrating resources and leveraging China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) supply chain advantages to strengthen price competitiveness. This approach will be combined with European local supply chains to enhance resilience and accelerate time-to-market for new vehicles. Third, the partners plan to introduce a new Leapmotor model at Stellantis’ Villaverde plant in Madrid, Spain, with production expected to commence in the first half of 2028, filling the capacity gap left by the discontinuation of the Citroën C4. The parties are currently negotiating the transfer of ownership of this facility to Leapmotor International’s Spanish subsidiary. The vehicle produced there will comply with new European regulations on local manufacturing and will be marketed by Leapmotor International across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.