Rahul Somvanshi
Are the carmakers you know still setting the pace on electric cars? In mid-October, Volkswagen and Stellantis used the Paris auto show to express growing confidence in their EVs. Stellantis’s chief executive said the group is using its partnerships to study the Chinese edge on technology. Here is what the shift looks like, and what it does not yet prove.
Stellantis is using its joint ventures with Leapmotor and Dongfeng to study the Chinese competitive edge on technology. Reuters reported from the Paris auto show on 13 October 2026. Stellantis entered a production tie-up with Leapmotor earlier this year and plans another with Dongfeng. Its brands in Europe include Citroen, Peugeot, Opel and Fiat. The partnerships are set to be localised to meet incoming “Made in Europe” regulations. A mid-sized electric SUV is being developed by Leapmotor and Opel together. Volkswagen also used the show to express growing confidence in its electric vehicles. Both companies are battling to defend market share against Chinese players expanding abroad to offset a downturn at home. Europe’s EV transition has also accelerated in recent months, spurred by rising fuel prices and more affordable models.
A Western brand, Opel, is now developing a mid-sized electric SUV with the Chinese EV maker Leapmotor. Opel’s chief executive describes the pace as remarkable.
Partnerships and the product outcome
Opel’s chief executive, Florian Huettl, puts it in plain terms: “What I’m seeing is remarkable speed.” He describes a Western automaker drawing directly on a Chinese partner to bring new vehicles to market in as little as two years, which he calls a rare example. The partnership includes a mid-sized electric SUV being developed by Leapmotor and Opel.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said he does not fully agree with the view that “we are missing key capabilities.” Filosa told reporters the group is using its joint ventures with Leapmotor and Dongfeng to study the Chinese competitive edge on technology. “I do not fully agree with the view that we are missing key capabilities, but there are certainly areas where we can complement each other.”
He framed the work as joint learning. By bringing engineering teams together, he said, the companies “can identify where that competitiveness comes from and learn from it.”
Danilo Annese, CEO of Leapmotor International, the Stellantis-led joint venture, said: “We are seeing how the BEV is getting traction that we were not expecting one year ago.” That includes “countries like Italy and Spain where the BEV is less adopted,” markets where battery-electric cars have been less common.
Volkswagen’s China-linked work runs alongside this. The Jetta M6 EV debuted in China on 22 October 2026 from the FAW-Volkswagen joint venture. Jetta is a budget brand for the Chinese market, separate from Volkswagen’s sedan of the same name. Volkswagen is also considering a version of its CMP 21 electric architecture, first developed for China, for India. Last year Volkswagen had already decided to slash the cost of developing EVs in India by a third while it scouted for a local partner.
Other stories in this batch cover the Jetta M6 EV and Volkswagen’s CMP 21 architecture. Volkswagen is considering bringing CMP 21, an electric architecture first developed for China, to India. For buyers, the practical question is how much of a new Western EV’s engineering comes from a partner.
What is the Stellantis-Leapmotor partnership?
Stellantis has joint ventures with Leapmotor and Dongfeng. Leapmotor International, the Stellantis-led joint venture, is led by Danilo Annese. The partnership includes a mid-sized electric SUV being developed by Leapmotor and Opel, the group’s German brand. The tie-ups are set to be localised to meet “Made in Europe” rules.
Western carmakers are now working with Chinese partners on EVs, not only competing with them.
