According to Bloomberg, Stratis Group plans to expand cooperation with China's Leap Motors, including jointly developing an Opel-branded electric model, transferring ownership of a Spanish factory, and expanding joint procurement. Florian Huettl, CEO of Opel, a subsidiary of Stratis, said in an interview that Opel’s engineers have begun cooperating with the Chinese team of Leapmotor. The two parties are developing a mid-size SUV, , which will be produced in Zaragoza, Spain, to compete with models such as Volkswagen Group's Tiguan and Hyundai Motor's Tucson.
Leapmotor
The partnership will be one of the first examples of a major Western carmaker relying on Chinese technology to enhance its European product lineup. The company said on Friday that production of the SUV could start in 2028.
The Leapmotor team will lead the development of the electric drive system and battery system of this SUV, while Opel will focus more on appearance design and handling performance. The model's development cycle is expected to be about 24 months. This faster development pace reflects the speed advantage of Chinese manufacturers in building new models.
“We plan to integrate the technical advantages of both parties in hardware and software to create a car produced by Opel in Europe.” Hutter said. He said this approach is expected to lead to a more cost-effective model compared to models developed entirely in Germany.
In addition, Stratis is also considering transferring ownership of a factory in Madrid, Spain, to a joint venture with its Chinese partner. Stratis holds a 51% stake in the joint venture established with Liepao in 2023. The joint venture is currently focused on distribution business.
Stlantis said that the ownership adjustment of the Villaverde plant in Madrid may pave the way for the production of multiple zero-car models and help Stlantis meet the EU's increasingly stringent local production requirements.
This expanded cooperation is part of a large-scale reform plan by Strantis CEO Antonio Filosa and Chairman John Elkann, and the relevant results will be announced to investors later this month. The company may also sign more deals with other Chinese manufacturers to combat overcapacity in the European market, Bloomberg reported last month. In addition, Stratis recently resumed its cooperative relationship with China's Dongfeng Motor Group.