Stellantis, Battled And Bruised, Will Build Chinese EVs In Europe
- Stellantis has confirmed it will start assembling Leapmotor EVs at its plant near Zaragoza in Spain.
- The B10 compact crossover will be the first to start rolling off the assembly line in the second half of 2026.
- Three more Leapmotor EVs will join the ranks next year.
Stellantis lost over $20 billion last year after it pulled back from its ambitious electric car rollout plan. The all-electric Ram 1500 was canceled, as were all of the group’s plug-in hybrid models in the United States, including the popular Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
Stateside, the company is now focusing its electrification efforts on the upcoming Jeep Recon EV, as well as the range-extended Ram 1500 REV and Jeep Grand Wagoneer EREV. But let’s not forget that Stellantis is a huge car company, with no fewer than 14 brands under its belt.
In Europe, the conglomerate’s local brands, like Opel and Peugeot, have had some success with their electric models, but Stellantis has one ace up its sleeve that could make it stand out in the increasingly competitive European EV segment. That ace is Leapmotor International, a joint venture between Stellantis and Chinese automaker Leapmotor.
The Leapmotor B10 will go into production in Spain in the second half of 2026. Three more Chinese EVs will follow in 2027.
Photo by: Leapmotor
The tie-up has been selling several models in the past couple of months, and the pint-sized T03 city EV even had a short European production stint, with a handful of units rolling off Stellantis’ assembly lines in Tychy, Poland, to circumvent import tariffs.
That didn’t last long, but now Stellantis has confirmed that the Leapmotor B10, a higher-volume compact electric SUV, will go into production at its factory near Zaragoza in Spain in the second half of the year. The B10 will join the Open Corsa, Peugeot 208 and Lancia Ypsilon, according to El Periodico de Aragon. But that’s not all, as three more Leapmotor EVs will begin European assembly at the Spanish plant.
To support local production of the Chinese models, a new company called Lieder Automotive has been set up to supply the factory with European-made components. Lieder is a joint venture between China’s Duoli Technology and Basque supplier Fagor Ederlan.
The Leapmotor B10, which is currently imported in Europe from China, is priced from €29,990 ($34,800). It’s 178 inches long and has a single, rear-mounted electric motor that makes 218 horsepower. Two battery options are available: a 56.2-kilowatt-hour pack that enables a WLTP-rated range of 224 miles and a 67.1-kWh version with 270 miles of WLTP range.
It’s unclear how local production will impact the Leapmotor B10’s price tag in Europe, but it’s clear that the move will protect Stellantis from the import tariffs slapped on Chinese EVs.
Back in 2023, Stellantis invested €1.6 billion ($1.8B as of current exchange rates) in China’s Leapmotor, acquiring 20% of the brand. The Leapmotor International joint venture was also formed, with Stellantis controlling 51% of it.
