Stellantis has confirmed that its Zaragoza plant will manufacture a new Opel electric vehicle, based on a platform from China's Leapmotor. The decision reinforces the alliance between the two companies, which already includes the assembly of the Leapmotor B10 electric SUV at the same factory starting next autumn. Production in Spain aims to optimize costs and accelerate the arrival of affordable electric models to the European market.
Leapmotor Platform: the Chinese skeleton of the new Opel 🚗
The new Opel will use Leapmotor's modular architecture, designed for compact electric vehicles. This platform allows for the integration of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and permanent magnet electric motors, with ranges around 400 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. The Zaragoza plant will adapt its assembly lines to assemble these components, maintaining European manufacturing quality. Stellantis expects to reduce development times and production costs by sharing parts with the Leapmotor B10.
The Opel born Chinese but raised in Aragon 🇪🇸
So now we will have an Opel with Chinese DNA, raised in Zaragoza and dressed in German. Quite an automotive mix that will delight purists. Meanwhile, engineers in Rüsselsheim are fine-tuning the design, and those at Leapmotor are wondering if the lightning bolt logo will look good on a chassis they themselves designed. The important thing is that the car comes out cheap, even if achieving that means crossing half of Europe and part of Asia.