Image: StellantisAccording to Bloomberg, Stellantis and Dongfeng Motor Corporation are negotiating access for the Chinese carmaker to underutilised Stellantis plants in Europe. In return, Dongfeng could build vehicles for selected Stellantis brands in China, citing sources familiar with the matter.Dongfeng representatives have recently visited sites in Germany and Italy as part of the talks. The discussions also cover potential future options, including Dongfeng acquiring or investing in one or more European Stellantis plants, according to the report.Should the cooperation materialise, it would revive a partnership initiated decades ago. In the early 1990s, Stellantis’ predecessor, PSA, established a joint venture called Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile (DPCA) with Dongfeng to gain access to the growing Chinese market. The joint venture is based in Wuhan but currently operates on a niche scale.Stellantis is actively pursuing partnerships with Chinese companies. With 14 brands under its umbrella, the group operates plants across Europe at varying capacity levels, creating scope for additional vehicle production. This makes the facilities an attractive option for Chinese carmakers aiming to enter the European market via local manufacturing.Against this backdrop, Bloomberg reports that Stellantis executives met representatives from EV manufacturers Xiaomi and XPeng last month to discuss restructuring options.That Stellantis views collaborations with Chinese companies as a pathway to greater profitability is demonstrated by its well-established partnership with the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor. Through the joint venture Leapmotor International, both parties are collaborating on distribution in Europe, and Stellantis is considering leveraging Leapmotor’s technology more extensively to electrify its volume brands, such as Fiat and Opel. Just a few days ago, it was also revealed that Leapmotor might produce electric vehicles at Stellantis’ currently idle plant in Brampton, Canada.For now, neither Dongfeng nor Stellantis is officially confirming their advanced discussions.“As part of its normal course of business, Stellantis holds discussions with a range of industry players around the world on various topics, always with the ultimate aim of providing customers with the best mobility choices,” was Stellantis’ sole comment to Bloomberg.Dongfeng, however, stated: “Dongfeng and Stellantis have a positive foundation for partnership, in the future we will continue to strengthen advantages that complement each other.”As Bloomberg further reports, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is expected to present additional strategic steps on 21 May during a Capital Markets Day—including measures to improve profitability in Europe and planned investments in North America. Whether he will also address potential Chinese partnerships at that time remains to be seen.bloomberg.com