Stellantis launches production of the Leapmotor B10 in Spain
Stellantis and Leapmotor have officially begun series production of the Leapmotor B10 at the Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, Spain. For the Chinese brand, this marks the second attempt to produce vehicles in Europe. The brand's B05, B03X, and B03 models are set to follow next year.
Image: Leapmotor
The Leapmotor B10 is now being manufactured at the Figueruelas plant, where the Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208 and Lancia Ypsilon are already produced. For the official production launch, managers from both companies were joined by Jorge Azcón, President of the Aragon region, and Jordi García Brustenga, Spain’s Secretary of State for Industry, in Zaragoza. Stellantis justified the choice of location by citing the plant’s quality, industrial experience and available capacity. The latter should be taken literally: CEO Antonio Filosa stated that the utilisation of Stellantis’ European plants for 2025 is around 60 per cent.
“The electric transition must also be an industrial transition,” said Silvia Vernetti. “If our partnership is the strategy, Zaragoza is the proof that we can combine global technology, competitiveness and European industrial capabilities.” Vernetti has been responsible for joint ventures and the implementation of the strategic plan at Stellantis since May 2026 and reports directly to the CEO. Leapmotor founder Zhu Jiangming put it this way: “Our roots are in China and our ambition is global.” Manufacturing in Spain brings the company’s technology closer to European customers.
Second attempt after Tychy
Leapmotor had initially assembled the T03 compact car at Stellantis’ Polish plant in Tychy but later discontinued the project. The setup in Spain is broader in scope. The chassis for the B10 is supplied by Lieder Automotive from nearby Borja, a joint venture between Duoli Technology and Fagor Ederlan. Production was planned to start at 40,000 vehicles per year.
The B10 is a 4.51-metre-long battery-electric SUV. It uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with 56.2 or 67.1 kWh. The most powerful version delivers up to 168 kW and has a WLTP range of up to 434 m. In Germany, the new B10 starts at €32,900 as a pure electric vehicle. In Austria, private customers can purchase the entry-level B10 Life with a €1,000 model bonus for €28,990 until the end of the year.
Three more models next year
According to earlier statements by Leapmotor’s quality chief Ding Yongfei, Zaragoza will take on three additional model series in 2027: the compact B05, sold in China as the Lafa 5, as well as the smaller A10 and A05 models. In Europe, both models bear different names. The A10 is known here as the B03X, likely to avoid conflict with Audi. The A05 is marketed as the B03 and was on display at the Paris Motor Show last week.
Manufacturing within the EU avoids the balancing tariffs that Brussels has imposed on Chinese-made electric vehicles since autumn 2024. Nevertheless, European CEO Danilo Annese cites shorter supply chains and more stable supply as the primary reasons: “We are in Europe; we want to stay in Europe.”
Opel to use Leapmotor technology from 2028
Stellantis itself will also rely on Leapmotor in Zaragoza. Together with the Chinese company, Opel is developing a battery-electric SUV measuring around 4.50 metres, positioned between the Frontera and Grandland, which is set to be produced in Zaragoza from 2028. Leapmotor will supply the electronic architecture, battery and powertrain, while Opel will handle the chassis, steering, design and user interface. Stellantis holds a 20 per cent stake in Leapmotor and a 51 per cent stake in the joint venture Leapmotor International, which manages sales outside China.
The distribution network for the model offensive in Europe is already in place: Leapmotor now sells through more than 1,020 locations in 36 European countries. In Munich, the Chinese company also opened its own R&D centre in March, the first outside China.