Leapmotor International has selected Röchling Automotive to supply active aerodynamics, exterior and airflow management components for the company's forthcoming European vehicle programmes.

The components will be produced at Röchling Automotive's facility in Araia, Spain, supporting Leapmotor's planned vehicle launches in the region.

The nomination extends a technical partnership between the two companies that dates to 2019, which has laid the engineering groundwork for localised production in support of Leapmotor's European operations.

Röchling Automotive CEO Martin Schüler said: “Leapmotor knows our engineering and production capabilities from our successful cooperation in China.

“We are pleased that this trust now carries into Europe, where we will support Leapmotor International with locally produced aerodynamic and air-water separation components for its European vehicle programs.”

Röchling Automotive is a division of the German-based Röchling Group, focused on high-performance polymer applications and integrated system solutions for the automotive sector.

Leapmotor International, established in late 2023, is a joint venture between Stellantis and Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor, with Stellantis owning 51% and Leapmotor holding the remaining 49% stake.

The venture has exclusive rights to export, distribute and manufacture Leapmotor products outside Greater China.

Stellantis and Leapmotor said in May that they intended to broaden their partnership further.

The companies' collaboration has also extended into Southeast Asia.

Stellantis Malaysia began local assembly of Leapmotor electric vehicles last month at its manufacturing site in Gurun, Kedah, with the C10 SUV as the first model produced there.

The plant will initially build the C10, with the B10 due to enter production before the end of 2026.

The launch represented the official start of Stellantis Malaysia's Leapmotor manufacturing activities, part of what the company describes as a wider effort to establish Malaysia as a regional hub for EV production.

Separately, Leapmotor said earlier this month that it had opened orders in Europe for its new B03X model, calling it a global strategic model that marked “a new chapter for the brand in the fast-growing compact segment”.