Stellantis and Leapmotor are looking at a deeper European manufacturing tie-up, with Spain emerging as a key base for the next stage of their electric-vehicle partnership.
The two companies said they were exploring several new initiatives to build on their existing cooperation.
Stellantis took 21% stake in Leapmotor in October 2023, becoming its largest shareholder.
At the same time, the two companies formed Leapmotor International, a 51:49 joint venture controlled by Stellantis, with exclusive rights to sell and manufacture Leapmotor vehicles outside Greater China.
That venture has moved quickly. After launching the Leapmotor T03 and C10 in Europe in 2024, Leapmotor International expanded to more than 850 sales and service points across the region.
It recorded more than 40,000 shipments in Europe in 2025, then moved into South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, before entering Mexico in April 2026.
The next step could be more industrial. Stellantis and Leapmotor are studying whether to add a new production line at Stellantis’ Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, Spain.
The line could build Opel’s new C-segment electric SUV from around 2028, with Leapmotor’s B10 electric SUV potentially starting production there as early as 2026.
Figueruelas is already an important Opel site, with more than 10 million Opel Corsas produced there since 1982.
Stellantis said the planned Opel electric SUV could use competitively priced components sourced through Leapmotor International, which would help make the vehicle more affordable for European buyers.
The companies are also looking at joint purchasing through Leapmotor International.
The idea is to use China’s New Energy Vehicle supply chain strength while keeping enough European supply capability to improve resilience and speed up launches.
A second Spanish plant could also enter the picture. Stellantis and Leapmotor are studying whether to allocate a new Leapmotor model to the Villaverde plant in Madrid from the first half of 2028.
That would be significant because Citroën C4 production there is due to end. Ownership of the plant could also be transferred to Leapmotor International’s Spanish subsidiary.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the plan would support European EV localisation and affordable electric vehicles. Leapmotor founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming said the partnership had already helped Leapmotor grow internationally across five continents.
For Stellantis, this is partly about using Chinese EV cost strength without walking away from European factories. For Leapmotor, it is a faster route into global markets than going alone.
