US EditionStellantis in advanced talks to develop Opel EV with China's Leapmotor: Reuters
The deal could produce 50,000 Opel electric SUVs a year and help Stellantis cut development costs as it faces tougher competition from Chinese rivals.
- Stellantis is in advanced talks with Leapmotor to jointly develop an Opel-branded electric SUV, codenamed O3U, for production at the Zaragoza plant in Spain. An agreement could be reached as early as this month.
- To fend off competition from BYD and other Chinese brands, the French-Italian automaker aims to cut development time using Leapmotor's architecture. Earlier this year Stellantis announced a $25 billion writedown after scaling back EV plans.
- Production of the new Opel model is expected to start in 2028 with a targeted annual output of 50,000 vehicles. The model would share a common architecture with the Chinese automaker's B10 compact SUV, also assembled in Zaragoza.
- Collaboration between the two partners is characterized by "regular engagement," Stellantis stated, though it declined to provide further details. The company formed a partnership with the Chinese automaker after acquiring around one-fifth of Leapmotor.
- Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa will present a new long-term business plan on May 21. The automakers have also discussed additional models for smaller A-segment cars, which would require different production lines from the one used in Zaragoza.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Stellantis in advanced talks to develop Opel EV with China's Leapmotor, sources say
Stellantis is in advanced talks with Leapmotor to jointly develop an Opel-branded electric SUV that would use the Chinese automaker's technology and be produced at Stellantis' Zaragoza plant in Spain, three sources told Reuters.
Leapmotor is beginning to cause a stir in Europe, the Stellantis brand is able to compete with good prices and electric cars. Meanwhile, brands such as Opel are having a hard time offering good prices and current technology for their own electric cars. I honestly perceive Opel as a real crisis brand for almost decades. Here and there there are some good models, but the right release is not possible and also not with the electric portfolio. For e…
To counter the wave of Chinese manufacturers, Stellantis has chosen a radical strategy: to integrate the technology of its partner Leapmotor into the very heart of a future electric Opel. This model, which could be the next generation of Mokka, will be developed in part in China and assembled in Spain by 2028, marking a major turning point to drastically reduce costs and development times.
The next Opel SUV could be a Leapmotor
According to a new report, Opel owner Stellantis is in "advanced talks" with Leapmotor, of which it owns a healthy chunk, to co-develop an Opel electric SUV. If these talks pan out, the production would start in 2028 at the Stellantis plant in Spain, with a target output of 50,000 units per year. The car would use the Leapmotor B10's architecture, and that car itself is also allegedly going to be made in the same Spanish plant for European marke…
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