Leapmotor B10 enters production at Stellantis's Zaragoza plant as European localisation gathers pace

B10 production officially underway in Zaragoza

Stellantis and Leapmotor have officially marked the start of production of the Leapmotor B10 at the Zaragoza plant in Spain, with the companies describing the milestone as a step that brings their strategic alliance to life and reinforces their commitment to electric mobility that is more accessible, competitive and made in Europe, per the manufacturers' announcement of 16 October 2026. Gasgoo, reporting from Munich, dated the start of series production to 16 October 2026. ⁵²⁸

The event drew significant media interest and a prominent institutional delegation led by Jorge Azcón, President of the Government of Aragon, and Jordi García Brustenga, Secretary of State for Industry, which the companies said underscored the project's importance for Spanish industry and for positioning Aragon as a strategic region in the automotive industry's transformation. ⁵²

Within Stellantis's FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, the companies framed the project as a win-win partnership pairing Stellantis's global industrial expertise, manufacturing excellence, quality standards and international presence with Leapmotor's innovation and technology capabilities, alongside what they describe as deep knowledge of European markets and customers. ⁵¹

Why Zaragoza, and what it makes

The companies said Zaragoza was selected for the plant's quality, available capacity and industrial expertise. The B10 joins a facility that currently produces the Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208 and Lancia Ypsilon, making the Chinese-designed electric SUV a stablemate to three European-built models on the same site. ⁵¹

Gasgoo adds context on the plant itself: it has operated for 43 years and has produced more than 10 million vehicles. According to Gasgoo, engineering teams from Leapmotor and Stellantis adapted the production line for the B10, and a battery assembly facility was established at Mallén, Spain, focused on battery-module assembly and related processes to support Leapmotor vehicle production in Europe alongside the Zaragoza vehicle plant. ⁸⁹

Together, Gasgoo notes, the Zaragoza and Mallén facilities extend Leapmotor's European manufacturing footprint from vehicle assembly to supporting battery operations, though the report does not specify battery capacity, chemistry or supply arrangements for the Zaragoza-built B10. ⁸

Alliance background and executive framing

Stellantis invested in Leapmotor in 2023, and in May 2024 the two companies formed a joint venture called Leapmotor International B.V. to explore international markets, according to the manufacturers' corporate background. Leapmotor International is a Stellantis-led joint venture with a 51/49 split between Stellantis N.V. and Leapmotor. ⁵⁶

Silvia Vernetti, Stellantis's representative and, per Gasgoo, its head of joint ventures and strategic planning, said at the event: "The electric transition must also be an industrial transition. If our partnership is the strategy, Zaragoza is the proof that we can combine global technology, competitiveness and European industrial capabilities." ⁵⁸

Leapmotor founder and president Zhu Jiangming said: "Our roots are in China and our ambition is global. Europe is a strategic part of that ambition, and producing in Zaragoza allows us to bring our technology closer to European markets and customers." Gasgoo adds that Zhu first considered starting an automaker while travelling in Spain in 2015, and that eleven years later the company has begun localised production in the country. ⁵⁸

Local-for-local strategy and the B05 to follow

At the 2026 Paris Motor Show, Leapmotor International confirmed that production of the all-electric B10 had officially commenced at its first European manufacturing facility in Zaragoza, developed in partnership with Stellantis. The company said the facility will produce vehicles specifically for European customers, describing the move as a true local-for-local approach that brings manufacturing closer to customers. ⁶⁷

Days after the B10 inauguration, on 19 October 2026, Leapmotor International announced plans to produce the B05, a C-segment hatchback, at the same Stellantis plant, calling it the second model built in Zaragoza. The announcement describes B05 production as planned as the next step, not yet underway, and quotes Leapmotor International CEO Danilo Annese saying that bringing a second Leapmotor model to Zaragoza underlines the plant's strategic importance for the company's European industrial development. ⁴³

Wider European push and what it means

The B10 start of production sits within a busy period for Leapmotor International in Europe. At the Paris show the company also presented the European premiere of the B03 urban hatchback and the flagship D19 SUV, its largest-ever exhibition presence in Europe, and reiterated a target of more than 100 UK retailers by the end of 2026, up from more than 90. In September 2026 it reported surpassing 1,000 retail locations across Europe, with Europe accounting for 27 per cent of global deliveries in August, its largest-ever share. ⁶⁷³

Leapmotor's global scale is also growing: the company reported record monthly deliveries of 103,129 vehicles in August 2026 and 105,656 in September, with a record 310,052 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, per its own announcements. ³

For now, the confirmed change is European: the B10 is being built at Zaragoza for European customers, with the B05 planned to follow. This report does not establish any change to how B10s sold in other markets, including Australia, will be sourced, and no Australian supply or pricing details form part of the manufacturers' announcements or Gasgoo's reporting. ⁵⁴⁸