Opel and Leapmotor start joint development

In China, automotive developments have their own pace that is significantly faster than in Europe, which is why Opel is now using the expertise of its Chinese Stellantis partner Leapmotor to develop a new SUV in the C-segment. The vehicle should be ready for series production in two years and close the gap between the Frontera and Grandland.

"We expect a lot from this cooperation," explains Opel CEO Florian Hüttl, because "ideally, the best of two worlds come together here." Two worlds are the development teams in China and Rüsselsheim, where the "Opel engineers contribute their expertise in chassis, steering, noise insulation, design and lighting, in other words the hardware," says Hüttl. Leapmotor is contributing its knowledge of electrical components to the development partnership. "This step will improve our competitiveness. This is a pioneering project and we will be able to develop the vehicle in record time."

The new model will be produced at the Opel plant in Zaragoza, Spain, where the Corsa has been rolling off the production lines for 45 years. The Leapmotor B10, the first model from the Chinese partner in Europe, will also soon be produced there. According to Hüttl, the new, as yet unnamed model will be a new, independent development "with the classic Opel characteristics that our customers expect". At the same time, the collaboration with Leapmotor will provide access to a "cost base in the field of electric technology that we cannot achieve on our own today". The exact technical specifications are currently not being discussed.

With the new C-SUV, Opel wants to further expand its product range, because "we are not yet represented in this important segment between the Frontera and Grandland," explains Hüttl. Hüttl also expects the joint development to have learning effects for the development steps in Germany. "For example, we can see the speed of the development processes at our Chinese partner, and this is also an opportunity for us to question our own methods."

Whether this first development partnership can be the prelude to further joint projects is uncertain. "To be honest, I don't know," says Hüttl. "We are breaking new ground to develop a model that takes a leap forward. I expect a lot of potential from the nature of this collaboration. The start is very promising." Stellantis will expand its collaboration with the Chinese company even further in the future. In addition to the development partnership with Opel, this also includes cooperation in purchasing.

Opel is not the first European company to collaborate with Chinese companies in the development of electric cars. Renault secured the support of a company in Shanghai for the electric Twingo, and Volkswagen is relying on Xpeng's expertise in the development of electric vehicles for the Chinese market. Volkswagen holds a five percent stake in the manufacturer. The first result is the SUV coupé ID Unyx 08 (aum).