Is the English cohabitation of Nissan and Chery imminent?
In the historic English plant in Sunderland, Nissan and Chery could soon coexist. In France, Stellantis will share a plant with Dongfeng, while in Spain Ford is considering hosting Geely. The crisis of historic brands is leading them to “sublease” partially unused factories to Chinese rivals.
All Chinese brands onboarded by Stellantis
Stellantis’ strategy for Europe seems to be moving towards a two-pronged approach: city cars and SUVs from Leapmotor, and the higher segment with Voya alongside Dongfeng. Additionally, the group led by Filosa might turn to Jac and Huawei to revive the Maserati sports brand, which has been in severe crisis for at least two years.
Stellantis returns on board with more conviction than the Chinese Dongfeng.
The pact between Stellantis and Dongfeng, in place since the PSA era, is strengthening again. The joint venture, following an investment of 1 billion euros (130 million of which will come from the Italian-French Group), is expected to produce a new energy sedan and SUV both under the Peugeot brand, to which two Jeep models are also expected to be added.
Why Honda and Nissan Are Pulling the Brakes in the West
Nissan is reducing production at its main plant in Europe, in Sunderland, and is preparing to cut 900 positions across the Old Continent, mostly in Spain, while Honda is freezing all plans for an almost 10 billion euro electric car gigafactory in Canada. Both Japanese brands are facing a severe crisis due not only to tariffs but also to Chinese competition. For this reason, the two companies are forced to save as much as possible.
Honda withdraws from the shores of South Korea
Last year, it sold fewer than 2,000 cars in the country. The blame lies with local competition but especially with the arrival of the Chinese company BYD. And it is precisely in China that Honda has seen deliveries plummet by 60 percent over five years, so the withdrawal from South Korea could be just the beginning.
Is Stellantis bringing other Chinese brands on board to introduce them to Europe?
Rumors are resurfacing that Stellantis is courting Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Xpeng, and Dongfeng to allocate the largely underutilized European plants, including the Italian ones that are continuously under layoff schemes. This strategy is similar to what is being tested in Canada, where Leapmotor would replace the vehicles once destined for the US. Having promised 13 billion in investments on American soil, the Group is increasingly looking overseas.
