Opel Plans Leapmotor Based Electric SUV for 2028 as Stellantis Expands Chinese Partnership

A New Opel SUV With Chinese Technology and German Engineering

Opel plans to launch a fully electric compact SUV by 2028, using core technology from China's Leapmotor and building the vehicle at the Stellantis factory in Zaragoza, Spain. Approximately 4.5 meters long, the unnamed model will sit between the Frontera and Grandland in Opel's lineup, placing the German brand at the center of an expanding partnership between its parent company and the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer.

Development is expected to take less than two years from the start of the project to showroom arrival. Opel will lead design and several areas of vehicle engineering, while Leapmotor supplies the electric architecture and battery technology. The arrangement combines Chinese development speed with the European engineering standards and driving characteristics that Opel wants customers to recognize.

The project confirms earlier reports and marks one of the largest changes in Opel's recent history. It also arrives alongside restructuring at the brand's historic headquarters in Russelsheim, where Stellantis has announced plans to remove 650 engineering positions and leave approximately 1,000 technical staff.

Stellantis sees the SUV as a blueprint for further collaboration across its brands. For buyers, the immediate promise is an accessible electric vehicle in the C segment, the industry category for compact cars. For Opel, the challenge is to turn shared technology into a vehicle with its own appearance, controls and driving feel.

Opel chief executive Florian Huettl says the vehicle will bring back a name from Opel and Vauxhall history. The badge has been chosen but remains undisclosed, and Huettl has ruled out Manta. The price has also yet to be announced, although the Leapmotor model expected to provide the technical foundation starts at 29,900 euros in Germany, France and Spain.

What Opel Will Develop Itself

Opel's design team in Russelsheim will lead the styling. Early teaser images show a sporty silhouette, large wheels, short overhangs and the familiar Opel Vizor front fascia with integrated LED lighting. The overhangs are the parts of the body extending beyond the front and rear wheels. Keeping them short helps give the vehicle the compact proportions shown in the teasers.

Huettl says international teams in Germany and China will develop the SUV. Leapmotor will contribute its latest electric architecture, the underlying technical framework of the vehicle, and battery technology. Opel will retain responsibility for design, chassis engineering, lighting systems and seating technology.

That division lets Opel concentrate on features that shape the experience of driving and using the car. Chassis engineering concerns how the vehicle rides and handles, while lighting and seating affect both its appearance and everyday comfort. Leapmotor's established platform provides the starting point for the electric components.

Huettl has insisted that the result will be more than a Leapmotor with different badges. Opel and Vauxhall engineers will lead work on drivetrain calibration, steering systems, noise isolation, packaging and seating. Calibration determines how the drivetrain responds to the driver; packaging concerns how components and passenger space fit within the vehicle.

The cabin will also include physical buttons instead of depending entirely on touchscreens, reflecting European preferences. Together with the styling and engineering work, that choice is intended to make the SUV feel distinctly like an Opel despite its Chinese mechanical roots.

The B10 Provides the Technical Starting Point

The new SUV is expected to follow the Leapmotor B10 closely as its technical donor. The B10 has a single electric motor producing 215 horsepower, equivalent to 160 kW, and offers batteries with capacities of 56.2 kWh and 67.1 kWh. Its stated range reaches up to 434 kilometers.

Battery capacity describes how much energy a battery can store. Driving range describes how far a vehicle can travel using that energy. The two figures help buyers understand different aspects of the car: the size of its energy supply and the distance available before charging.

An extended range B10 variant capable of covering up to 900 kilometers will also be available. That longer distance addresses one of the most common concerns among prospective electric vehicle buyers, the ability to complete longer journeys. The B10 figures provide the technical reference for the Opel project, whose development will include Opel's own calibration and engineering work.

Using an established vehicle architecture supports the planned development period of less than two years. Opel can build on Leapmotor's electric foundation while directing its own resources toward the design, handling, comfort and controls that will distinguish the finished SUV.

Zaragoza Becomes the Manufacturing Center

Production of the Opel SUV is planned to begin in 2028 at the Stellantis Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza. The Spanish factory has manufactured more than 10 million Opel Corsa vehicles since 1982 and currently produces the Peugeot 208, Lancia Ypsilon and Leapmotor B10 for European markets.

Adding the new SUV represents a substantial commitment to the site's manufacturing capabilities and existing infrastructure. Building it alongside the B10 would allow the vehicles to share production resources and supply chains, helping the partners make practical use of their common technology.

European assembly could also help the model qualify for local incentives and navigate changing trade regulations. Those potential benefits are part of the case for producing the vehicle in Spain rather than relying entirely on manufacturing in China.

Leapmotor's energy division is reportedly planning a battery factory in Zaragoza with capacity for approximately 100,000 packs a year. Such a facility would bring more of the battery supply close to vehicle assembly and increase the amount of production taking place locally.

The partners are also considering expansion at Villaverde near Madrid, where Citroen C4 production is scheduled to end. That plant could begin producing Leapmotor models from 2028, and ownership may transfer to the Spanish subsidiary of Leapmotor International, known as LPMI. Both possibilities would deepen the manufacturing relationship beyond the Zaragoza project.

How Stellantis and Leapmotor Joined Forces

Stellantis acquired a 21% stake in Leapmotor in October 2023, becoming the Chinese company's largest shareholder. The companies then established Leapmotor International, a joint venture controlled 51% by Stellantis, with exclusive rights to sell and manufacture Leapmotor products outside China.

The two ownership figures describe different arrangements. Stellantis holds 21% of Leapmotor itself, while its 51% share gives it majority control of the international joint venture. LPMI is the operation through which the partners are expanding Leapmotor's business beyond its home market.

The venture recorded 40,000 European deliveries in 2025 and 24,751 registrations in the first quarter of 2026 alone. The first quarter registration figure is approximately 62% of the number of deliveries recorded during the whole previous year. Deliveries and registrations measure different stages of the sales process, but both figures show the scale the European business has reached.

Antonio Filosa, chief executive of Stellantis, described the expanded partnership as mutually beneficial. He said it supports European production of affordable electric vehicles while responding to customers' practical needs.

Zhu Jiangming, Leapmotor's founder and chief executive, pointed to the complementary strengths of the companies. Leapmotor contributes technology, while Stellantis brings global reach and a broad portfolio of brands. He said the alliance has expanded rapidly across five continents.

A Smaller Engineering Workforce in Russelsheim

Stellantis recently announced plans to cut 650 engineering positions in Russelsheim, reducing the technical workforce to approximately 1,000 people. In 2017, the facility employed more than 7,700 engineers working on key PSA Group projects, illustrating the scale of the contraction at Opel's historic headquarters.

The remaining engineers will concentrate on artificial intelligence, software, advanced driver assistance systems, battery technology and digital lighting systems. Driver assistance systems are technologies designed to help a person operate a vehicle. The planned focus puts more of the remaining work into software, electronics and selected technical specialties.

Stellantis has not explicitly linked the job reductions to the Leapmotor partnership. The timing nevertheless places the restructuring alongside a development strategy that relies on Leapmotor for core electric vehicle architecture and allows Opel to focus its engineering effort on selected areas.

That approach can reduce research and development spending and shorten the time needed to bring new vehicles to market. The concerns surrounding it center on whether European manufacturers could gradually lose engineering independence as they rely more heavily on technology developed elsewhere.

Supporters view the arrangement as a practical response to an industry in which development speed and cost control increasingly determine survival. Opel's project brings those competing considerations into one vehicle: a shorter development schedule and shared costs, combined with a smaller engineering workforce and greater reliance on a Chinese partner.

An Accessible Price and a Familiar Name

Opel's SUV will enter one of Europe's busiest and most competitive vehicle categories. Rivals include the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Elroq and numerous other compact crossovers. Its position between the Frontera and Grandland will give Opel another option for customers seeking an SUV of approximately 4.5 meters.

The Leapmotor B10 starts at 29,900 euros in Germany, France and Spain and undercuts the Elroq by approximately 4,000 euros in key markets. Huettl has promised that the Opel model will be accessible, with Leapmotor components expected to help address the high purchase costs that remain a barrier to electric vehicle adoption.

Huettl, Opel's chief executive, said the decision to revive a historic name follows the approach used for the Frontera. Explaining how Opel selected the badge, he said:

We like the success of the Frontera, including the name. We have made a decision on the name we use, and we will use the recipe of finding something very suitable in our own history.

The familiar name will accompany a vehicle developed through a new international arrangement. Opel is pairing that connection to its history with recognizable styling, physical cabin controls and engineering work intended to preserve the brand's character.

A Model for Wider Collaboration

Stellantis has described the Opel project as a blueprint for efficient global collaboration. Other brands in the group could follow the same approach by using Leapmotor technology as the basis for their own electric vehicles.

Xavier Chereau, chairman of Opel's supervisory board and Stellantis chief human resources and sustainability officer, described Opel's role in the expanded partnership:

With this project, Opel would bring together German engineering excellence with global technological innovation speed. This innovative spirit defines the next chapter of our global collaboration with Leapmotor and Opel is taking on a pioneering role with this project.

LPMI's expansion already extends beyond Europe into South America, Mexico, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Joint purchasing initiatives are expected to make battery electric vehicles more affordable for Stellantis in Europe while accelerating the introduction of new models.

The Opel SUV brings several parts of that strategy together: shared electric technology, European assembly, purchasing cooperation and development work divided between Germany and China. Its planned arrival in 2028 makes it a concrete test of how that arrangement works for an established European brand.

The Dates Behind the Project

Opel's plans connect a factory with decades of production history to a partnership established in 2023. The main milestones show how the manufacturing base, engineering workforce and international business have developed.

• 1982: The Zaragoza plant began the production history that has since delivered more than 10 million Opel Corsa vehicles.
• 2017: Russelsheim employed more than 7,700 engineers working on key PSA Group projects.
• October 2023: Stellantis acquired a 21% stake in Leapmotor, becoming its largest shareholder.
• 2025: Leapmotor International recorded 40,000 European deliveries.
• First quarter of 2026: European registrations reached 24,751.
• By 2028: Opel plans to introduce the new electric compact SUV, with production beginning in Zaragoza in 2028.
• From 2028: The Villaverde plant could begin producing Leapmotor models.

The central commitment is Opel's planned SUV launch and Spanish production. The additional battery plant and possible Villaverde expansion would extend the partnership's industrial presence if they proceed.

Key Points

• Opel plans a fully electric compact SUV by 2028, approximately 4.5 meters long and positioned between the Frontera and Grandland.
• Leapmotor will supply electric architecture and battery technology, with Opel leading design and key engineering work.
• Development is targeted to take less than two years, and production is planned for Zaragoza alongside the Leapmotor B10.
• The B10 has a 160 kW motor, batteries of 56.2 kWh or 67.1 kWh and range of up to 434 kilometers. An extended range variant will offer up to 900 kilometers.
• The B10 starts at 29,900 euros in Germany, France and Spain. Opel's price and historic model name remain undisclosed; Manta has been ruled out.
• Stellantis has announced plans to cut 650 engineering positions in Russelsheim, leaving approximately 1,000 technical staff.
• Stellantis owns 21% of Leapmotor and controls 51% of Leapmotor International.
• The SUV is intended to provide a blueprint for wider collaboration, with further manufacturing expansion under consideration in Spain.