Foreign media: Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor has reached an agreement with its shareholder Stellantis to add a new production line at Stellantis' Figueruelas factory in Zaragoza, Spain, for local EV manufacturing targeting the European market.

The factory was previously planned for producing Opel-branded vehicles; it will now jointly produce the new all-electric C-class SUV from Opel and the Leapmotor B10 model. Production is expected to begin as early as this year.

Stellantis holds a 21% stake in Leapmotor. The two parties established a joint venture called "Leapmotor International" (with Leapmotor holding 49%) in 2023 to expand global sales. This collaboration reflects the strategy of Chinese EV brands leveraging idle production capacity in Europe to achieve localized manufacturing and circumvent trade barriers, while Stellantis can also enhance its competitiveness and reduce costs for electric SUVs through Leapmotor’s technology. Leapmotor recently opened its first overseas R&D center in Munich, Germany, in February this year.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864636332378120/

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