Stellantis has emphasised that Chinese production will not dilute the Jeep brand’s distinctly American heritage. By Stewart Burnett
Stellantis has intimated plans to start selling a China-made Jeep model built in Europe by 2030, deepening the automaker’s manufacturing partnership with state-backed Dongfeng Motor. During a media call, regional Jeep head Fabio Catone confirmed the large SUV will be jointly produced at Dongfeng’s plant in Wuhan and shared that the brand’s European lineup will grow to six models by the end of the decade, up from two today.
The arrangement marks a reversal of Stellantis’ previous stance toward its Chinese joint venture partner: under the tenure of former Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, it had pulled back from the relationship in 2022. The implication was that Stellantis would, at some point, wind down production in China entirely. Antonio Filosa, who took the reins in mid-2025, has since revived the alliance, with the two companies also establishing a venture allowing Dongfeng to manufacture its own vehicles at a Stellantis plant in France.
Jeep occupies a central position in Stellantis’s wider turnaround strategy. The brand sits alongside Ram, Peugeot and Fiat as one of four badges prioritised for investment, cumulatively absorbing 70% of a €60bn (US$70bn) industrial strategy unveiled in May 2026. Stellantis has said the remaining ten brands in its portfolio, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler and Citroen, will rely on shared platforms developed for the core four and play more limited regional roles. Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Leapmotor and luxury brand Maserati are considered outliers, with more details expected to emerge later in the year.
Two additional Jeep models are planned alongside the Dongfeng-built SUV: compact and large B-segment SUVs built on the group’s STLA One platform, positioned near the existing Avenger. Catone declined to provide launch timelines beyond confirming some would arrive before 2030, and Stellantis has not disclosed where the two smaller models will be manufactured, stating only that “a very clear plan” is still in the process of being finalised.
The Wrangler’s continued absence from Europe illustrates the limits of that expansion. Stellantis has confirmed that the model will not return to the region in the foreseeable future, citing the difficulty of meeting strict European crash-test and emissions requirements given its distinctive body shape. Catone said the company continues to explore solutions to this predicament—presumably lobbying efforts—and would not include the model in its plans until those are resolved.
It should be noted that Stellantis’s growing reliance on Chinese manufacturing extends well beyond Jeep. The automaker has recently deepened its ties to Leapmotor, including Spanish production of the latter’s EVs at former’s plant in Zaragoza, Spain. The deepening of ties with China, which is arguably singular in its leadership on both the affordability and technology fronts, has naturally led to concerns that the automaker’s legacies in Western markets—Fiat in Italy, Jeep in the US—will be overwritten. Catone has dismissed such concerns, emphasising that a Jeep made in China would remain “a real Jeep on all counts”.
The strategy carries some relatively straightforward risks, most of them related to EU policy. At a moment when the bloc’s policymakers are weighing measures such as the proposed Industrial Acceleration Act specifically to reduce dependence on overseas production, Stellantis is barrelling ahead with lower-cost overseas production.