Peugeot concept vehicles at Auto ChinaImage: PeugeotIt has been known since April that Stellantis is in discussions with Dongfeng to deepen their collaboration. At the time, the focus was reportedly on Stellantis potentially granting the Chinese manufacturer access to underutilised Stellantis plants in Europe. In return, Dongfeng could produce vehicles for selected Stellantis brands in China.At least the second part of this report has now been confirmed: Stellantis has announced plans to strengthen its 34-year-old partnership with Dongfeng in China. Specifically, the joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile (DPCA) will begin producing two entirely new New Energy Vehicles for the Peugeot brand at its Wuhan plant from 2027. In China, NEVs include battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and range-extender vehicles. The CEOs of both brands emphasised that cutting-edge electric vehicle technologies will be utilised.These new Peugeot models will be based on the design language of the concept cars unveiled by Peugeot at Auto China 2026. There, Peugeot introduced the Concept 6* as a ‘vision of a bold new generation of large sedans’ and the Concept 8* as ‘the future of Peugeot’s large SUVs.’ The vehicles, which will be manufactured at the DPCA plant in Wuhan, are intended for both the Chinese market and export to global markets as part of Peugeot’s international growth strategy.In addition to the new Peugeot models, the joint venture will also produce two new off-road vehicles for the Stellantis brand Jeep. These models will likewise be New Energy Vehicles and are set to be distributed not only in China but worldwide.“With a track record of more than 30 years of collaboration and shared automotive expertise, Stellantis and Dongfeng are ready to further leverage their strengths and introduce all-new vehicles with cutting-edge EV technologies from brands that customers worldwide trust and love,” said Antonio Filosa, Stellantis CEO. “We look forward to this project and to collaborate even more in the future.”“Dongfeng Motor has always taken the transformation and revitalisation of Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile Co., Ltd. (DPCA) as a key strategic priority, fully supporting and advancing its sustainable development. Through the signing of this strategic cooperation, by integrating Hubei’s industrial strengths, Stellantis’ global layout advantages and Dongfeng’s intelligent electric vehicle technologies, a new path featuring complementary strengths and win-win outcomes for all parties has been forged. This will undoubtedly inject strong momentum into DPCA’s transformation,” said Qing Yang, Dongfeng Group Chairman. The term ‘revitalisation’ used by the Dongfeng chairman refers to the fact that, while the joint venture has produced vehicles together for decades, its recent output has consisted primarily of less successful internal combustion engine and hybrid models, mainly for the Chinese market, where NEVs have been in high demand for some time. The Wuhan plant is now set to be fully converted into an NEV production facility. The investment is expected to amount to around one billion euros, of which Stellantis will contribute only 130 million euros.stellantis.com, stellantis.com (concept vehicles at Auto China)
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