- Stellantis will hold a 51% stake in the new joint venture and lead the sales and localized production of the Voyah brand in Europe.
- The move aims to help Dongfeng avoid EU tariffs while utilizing the idle capacity at Stellantis' French plant.
European auto giant Stellantis NV is planning to establish a new joint venture with its Chinese partner Dongfeng, aiming to bring Dongfeng's premium new energy brand Voyah (HKEX: 7489) to the European market.
The two parties have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to set up a Stellantis-led joint venture entity in Europe.
Stellantis will hold a 51% stake in the entity, while Dongfeng will hold the remaining 49% stake, according to a statement on Wednesday.
In its initial phase, the new company will focus on covering select European markets, taking charge of the sales and distribution operations for the Voyah brand's premium new energy vehicle (NEV) models.
To meet European regulatory requirements and avoid EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, the two sides are evaluating localized production.
Stellantis and Dongfeng have held preliminary discussions on the possibility of carrying out localized production of Dongfeng's NEV models at the European automaker's Rennes plant in France, in order to comply with European regulations and the "Made in Europe" framework requirements.
The Rennes plant is currently underutilized, producing only the Citroen C5 Aircross on a single assembly line.
The move is highly similar to the cooperation model Stellantis previously reached with Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor (HKEX: 9863).
Stellantis and Leapmotor formed a joint venture headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, called Leapmotor International, in which Stellantis also holds a 51% stake and leads its overseas expansion.
Stellantis hopes to use this to deeply integrate the advantages of Dongfeng's NEV ecosystem in China.
Dongfeng currently has a limited footprint in Europe, having sold only 3,210 Dongfeng and Voyah brand vehicles across Europe in 2025, Reuters said in a report citing Dataforce data.
At the Beijing Auto Show last month, Dongfeng set a target of achieving global sales of 4 million vehicles by 2030. The company expects that by then, more than 40% of its sales will come from overseas markets.
Earlier this month, Stellantis and Dongfeng just announced the strengthening of their joint venture in China, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile (DPCA).
With a total investment of over 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in the project, the Wuhan plant will begin producing all-new Peugeot and Jeep brand NEV models in 2027.
($1 = 6.8003 yuan)
