Stellantis announced on Wednesday its intention to establish a new Europe-based joint venture with Dongfeng Group to sell and distribute the Chinese automaker’s premium Voyah-branded electric vehicles in Europe.
The announcement is the company’s second major European one in two days, and arrives just 24 hours before Chief Executive Officer Antonio Filosa unveils his first formal strategic plan at the company’s Investor Day in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The Voyah plan came one day after Stellantis unveiled its affordable “E-Car” project — a €15,000 ($17,500) compact electric vehicle set for 2028 production at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Italy.
The Voyah Joint Venture
Under the contemplated plan, Stellantis and Dongfeng Group intend to establish a new Europe-based, Stellantis-led 51/49 joint venture for the sales, distribution, manufacturing, purchasing, and engineering of Dongfeng’s new energy vehicles (NEVs), with an initial focus on designated European markets.
The new entity would take responsibility for the sales and distribution of Dongfeng’s Voyah-branded premium NEVs in designated European markets, leveraging Stellantis’s existing dealer network and after-sales expertise.
The joint venture would also host joint purchasing and engineering activities, tapping into Dongfeng’s Chinese NEV ecosystem.
Stellantis said the memorandum of understanding was signed “recently,” and that the project remains subject to the execution of relevant implementation agreements — including economic and operational principles — and the satisfaction of customary conditions and approvals.
The Rennes Production Plan
The partners also envisage the potential production of Dongfeng NEVs at the Rennes plant in France — in line with European regulations and “Made-in-Europe” requirements.
The Rennes localization plan directly addresses the European Commission’s countervailing duties on Chinese-built EVs — allowing Dongfeng to bypass the import tariffs set in October 2024 by manufacturing within Europe.
The Rennes plant had previously been cited as one of two Stellantis facilities — alongside Cassino — reportedly under consideration for Chinese automaker investment as the company restructures its European manufacturing footprint amid broader sales contraction.
The 34-Year Partnership Context
The Voyah joint venture represents a further expansion of the 34-year Stellantis–Dongfeng partnership.
Earlier this month, the two companies announced the strengthening of their longtime China-based Dongfeng Peugeot Citroën Automobile Co., Ltd (DPCA) joint venture — which will produce all-new Peugeot and Jeep-branded NEVs at its Wuhan plant for China and for export to global markets, starting in 2027.
Since its inception, the DPCA joint venture has produced over 6.5 million Peugeot and Citroën-branded vehicles in China for the domestic and overseas markets.
The Voyah Brand Positioning
Voyah is Dongfeng’s premium NEV brand — positioning the joint venture as a premium-segment play rather than an entry-level affordable EV effort.
The premium positioning is editorially distinctive because it contrasts with Stellantis’s other major Chinese partnership — the Leapmotor relationship — which has focused on the affordable entry-level segment through the Leapmotor T03 city car and C10 SUV.
The dual Chinese partnership structure — premium Voyah via Dongfeng and affordable Leapmotor — would give Stellantis Chinese-sourced EV products across both ends of the European price spectrum.
The E-Car Announcement One Day Earlier
The Voyah joint venture announcement came one day after Stellantis unveiled its affordable “E-Car” project on Tuesday — with production of the compact, fully electric vehicle set to begin in 2028 at the Pomigliano d’Arco plant in Italy.
The compact electric vehicle will carry a price tag of around 15,000 euros ($17,500), according to a source close to the matter cited by Reuters.
The “E” in E-Car stands for European, Emotion, Electric, and Environmental friendliness — a framework designed to position the model as the embodiment of European industrial revival.
Stellantis framed the E-Car project around reviving the European small-car segment, which the company describes as having experienced “unprecedented contraction” in recent years.
The Pomigliano d’Arco plant — located near Naples in Italy’s Campania region — has historically produced the Fiat Panda, a vehicle that has anchored European small-car sales for decades.
The Existing Capacity Restructuring
Stellantis has already taken concrete actions to restructure its European manufacturing footprint amid the broader contraction.
Under a deal with unions, the Poissy plant in France will stop making cars around 2028 — coinciding with the E-Car production start at Pomigliano.
Leapmotor will take over an assembly plant in Madrid and absorb a percentage of capacity at the Zaragoza, Spain factory — with Stellantis and Leapmotor reportedly discussing the potential transfer of the Villaverde plant’s ownership to LPMI’s Spanish subsidiary.
The LPMI joint venture was launched in mid-2024 as a 51/49 Stellantis-led structure with exclusive rights for the sale and manufacturing of Leapmotor products outside Greater China.
Stellantis became Leapmotor‘s single largest shareholder in October 2023 with an approximately 21% stake, which has since been diluted to approximately 19%.
