At Stellantis' Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, Spain—where over 10 million Opel Corsas have rolled off the line since 1982—a transformation is underway. The historic factory, long synonymous with European automotive tradition, is about to become a crucial hub for a new kind of vehicle: affordable electric cars made through a Sino-European partnership that signals a major shift in how the continent manufactures and consumes EVs.
Stellantis and the Chinese EV maker Leapmotor are deepening their collaboration in ways that reshape Europe's industrial landscape. The two companies, already partners through a 51-49 joint venture called Leapmotor International (LPMI) that Stellantis created in 2023 when it acquired a 21% stake in the Chinese firm, are now expanding production across multiple Spanish plants. The moves reveal how traditional European carmakers and ambitious Chinese manufacturers are increasingly intertwined—not through competition alone, but through integrated supply chains and shared factories.
The expansion plan is substantial. At Figueruelas, Leapmotor's C-SUV B10 model could begin production as early as 2026, while a new line for Opel's all-new C-SUV electric model is under evaluation, with potential production starting in 2028. The Figueruelas plant will continue making the Peugeot 208 and Lancia Ypsilon. More significantly, Stellantis and Leapmotor are planning to shift production of a new Leapmotor vehicle to the Villaverde plant near Madrid starting in the first half of 2028—a move tied to the end of Citroën C4 production there. That plant's ownership may eventually transfer to LPMI's Spanish subsidiary, marking a formal shift in control.
What makes this partnership economically powerful is the sourcing strategy. The new Opel C-SUV, built with LPMI-supplied components from China's booming EV ecosystem, will be significantly more affordable for European customers than comparable vehicles sourced through traditional supply chains. At the same time, LPMI and Stellantis plan to expand their joint purchasing initiatives, combining their scale to drive down costs while leveraging European supply chain resilience. The goal is clear: harness China's manufacturing and battery expertise while maintaining the regulatory and consumer trust advantages of European production.
The figures underscore how quickly LPMI has scaled internationally. Since launching in October 2023, the joint venture brought two models to market—the T03 and C10—and delivered 40,000 vehicles last year through 850 sales points spread across five continents. LPMI now operates in South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Mexico. For Leapmotor founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming, the expansion represents validation of the partnership's model: "Leapmotor's leading-edge technologies, combined with Stellantis' global reach, deep regional roots and much-loved automotive brands, would make this a uniquely powerful partnership."
The Spanish plants are strategic anchors. Manufacturing in Europe satisfies upcoming "Made in Europe" regulatory requirements that will shape EV market access and consumer perception. By positioning Spanish factories as production sites for both Stellantis' premium brands and Leapmotor's value-oriented models, the partnership creates a template for how legacy automakers can modernize their fleets while giving Chinese manufacturers legitimate pathways into Europe's skeptical markets. For workers in Zaragoza and Madrid, it signals factory floors reimagined for the electric era.