Stellantis Q3 2026 shipments: Leapmotor growth and Opel Astra plant pause

© A. Krivonosov

Nearly two thirds of Stellantis' shipment growth in Enlarged Europe came from Leapmotor vehicles. In the third quarter of 2026, the group increased its regional total by 54,000 units, with the Chinese brand accounting for about 34,000 of that gain. That is roughly 63% of the net increase. Globally, however, Stellantis shipments fell 1% to 1.286 million vehicles.

The figures come from Stellantis' official quarterly report published on October 13. The company counts vehicles delivered to dealers, distributors or directly to retail and corporate customers, so shipment figures should not be treated as the same thing as retail registrations. The data are preliminary and may be adjusted.

In Enlarged Europe, shipments rose from 534,000 to 588,000 vehicles, or 10%. Leapmotor increased its volume from roughly 10,000 to 44,000 units, helped in part by the launches of the B10 and B03X. Its results are consolidated into Stellantis figures through the Leapmotor International joint venture, in which Stellantis owns 51% and Leapmotor 49%.

Models from Stellantis' own brands also made a noticeable contribution. Smart Car family vehicles — Citroën C3 and C3 Aircross, Opel/Vauxhall Frontera and Fiat Grande Panda — generated about 26,000 additional shipments. Fiat 500 Hybrid, Jeep Compass and light commercial vehicles also contributed positively. At the same time, other models including Opel Corsa, Mokka, Citroën C4, Alfa Romeo Junior and Peugeot 2008 lost about 28,000 units combined.

North America moved in the opposite direction. Shipments fell by 47,000 vehicles to 357,000, or 12%. Stellantis linked the decline mainly to planned summer production shutdowns: Jeep Grand Cherokee and Compass shipments each fell by roughly 25,000 units. A gain of about 17,000 Ram vehicles was not enough to offset the losses. Middle East and Africa shipments also fell 21%.

Against this backdrop, Opel is preparing a two-week production pause at its Rüsselsheim plant, where the Astra and DS N°4 are built. German broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk reported on October 2 that the shutdown is needed for retooling, preventive maintenance and employee training. Opel did not confirm suggestions that weaker Astra demand was the reason. A shortage of traction batteries, which has temporarily affected some other Stellantis plants, is also not responsible for the Rüsselsheim pause.

This does not mean Astra production in Rüsselsheim is ending. Opel has officially confirmed that the next generation of the model will be designed, developed and built at the site. The new Astra will use the STLA ONE architecture. Production of the current models is expected to resume after the two-week pause.

The quarterly figures underline the uneven nature of Stellantis' performance. Growth in Europe is increasingly supported by new mass-market models, electric vehicles and Leapmotor, while North America remains a major source of volume declines. The next checkpoint will be the group's third-quarter financial results, scheduled for publication on October 28, 2026.