Vauxhall will launch a new electric SUV that will be co-developed and produced by fast-growing Chinese start-up Leapmotor in under two years, as part of a significant expansion of the partnership between the two firms that will include Leapmotor taking over part of a Stellantis factory in Spain.
The new machine is set to launch in early 2028 and will adopt an as-yet unknown name from the firm’s past. It will be around 4.5 metres long and slot between the Frontera and the Grandland in Vauxhall’s line-up of C-segment SUVs that also includes the Mokka.
While the SUV will be based on the “core components” of Leapmotor’s electric architecture, Vauxhall-Opel CEO Florian Huettl said that engineers from the Anglo-German brand’s Russelsheim headquarters would be in charge of the design, on-board experience and chassis engineering. He said that “synergy gives us the best of both worlds” of Chinese development speed and European engineering.
“We will use the fastest development processes and sequences that have been developed by Leapmotor that are Chinese, so we can be more digital – and we have a very clear sharing of responsibilities,” said Heuttl. “Opel-Vauxhall engineers will lead on everything that relates to drivetrain, steering systems, noise, isolation, packaging, seating, lighting – everything that you know from our brand.”
While Huettl declined to say exactly what platform the car will be built beyond “it will be an evolution of something that exists”, the base is set to be Leapmotor’s existing architecture. That will enable the new vehicle to make extensive use of the Chinese firm’s components. Leapmotor has its own digital architecture and produces around 65% of all of the parts used in its own vehicles, a key reason why it is able to develop cars at comparatively low cost.
Where new machine fits in Vauxhall line-up
While Vauxhall already offers three crossovers and SUVs that sit broadly in the C-segment, Huettl said that the size of the segment meant there was room for another.
He said that vehicles of around 4.5 metres formed “a very popular spot in many markets, including Germany and the UK” that “Vauxhall today has not covered yet”, citing machines such as the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Elroq. He added that “we see this as a vehicle that gives us additional coverage in the segment”.
Huettl wouldn’t give details on where the new EV will sit in terms of price, but hinted that “we have been exploring how to make electric mobility affordable, exciting and accessible for our customer base,” said Huettl.
While the machine will be built on a production line with Leapmotor models, Huettl said there it wouldn’t merely be a badge-engineered version of one, insisted that “we are co-developing a car, but we’re using components.”
Huettl added that the firm was “still looking into the best way” of implementing the infotainment, given Vauxhall uses a completely different operating system to Leapmotor. But he insisted that the new machine will “feature interface technology that you will see in other Vauxhall products” and, crucially, “we will use buttons”.
Huettl confirmed that the new machine would take on a name from Vauxhall-Opel’s past. He said: “we like the success of the Frontera, including the name. We have made a decision on the on the name we use, and we will use the recipe of finding something very suitable in our own history.”
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