Stellantis promotes Leapmotor CEO to global leadership team
Stellantis is the latest automaker to take steps in creating a stronger relationship with the Chinese market as it promotes its China COO to a global leadership position.
Tianshu Xin will take on a new role for business in China and the Asia Pacific and report directly to Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, a Stellantis release states.
Xin was appointed COO of Stellantis China in 2025. He also will continue to serve as CEO of Leapmotor International, a role he’s held since 2023.
Stellantis acquired a 21% stake in Leapmotor, a Chinese EV startup, in 2023. The company is now a 51-49 joint venture between Stellantis and Leapmotor, Automotive News reports.
Automotive News reported in April that plug-in hybrid sales by Chinese brands quadrupled in March and now represent 32% of the total European market.
As Chinese brands have moved into Europe, automotive brands there have faced falling sales in key markets.
News broke last week that BMW plans to cut 8,000 jobs and will launch a voluntary severance program due to the pressure in Europe.
BMW also reported that the rapidly deteriorating Chinese market is the main reason the company was forced to adjust its guidance in June.
While BMW points to Chinese competition as the main trigger, it adds that tariffs, European regulations, and the conflict in the Middle East are also pressure points.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Volkswagen Group is planning up to 100,000 job cuts globally. German software engineers are also struggling to find work as automotive companies in the country are cool on hiring.
Legacy automakers seem to have shifted into partnerships with Chinese automakers to be competitive in the market.
Earlier this month, Ford partnered with Chinese Geely Auto to produce next-generation multi-energy vehicles in Spain.
“While the partnership was criticized by some U.S. lawmakers, Ford said Chinese competition in the region was prompting every carmaker to get ‘leaner and smarter,’ which was the goal behind the Geely deal,” Reuters reports.
Geely opened the world’s largest automotive testing facility late last year. The 881,894-square-foot vehicle testing center cost $284 million.
GM sold more than 10,000 of its new Buick Electra E in May after developing the vehicle entirely at the technical center GM runs with China’s SAIC Motor Corp, according to Automotive News.
“For years, global automakers used China as a low-cost manufacturing base to churn out cars developed at headquarters,” the article states. “Now, GM, Volkswagen Group and Renault are handing development to Chinese engineers, leveraging the country’s growing advantage in critical technologies such as electric powertrains and advanced software.”
About 20% of Mercedes ownership is now from Chinese Groups, Car and Driver reports. This includes 9.7% ownership by the founder and chairman of Geely and 9.8% ownership by the BAIC Group.
The automaker faces a possible ban from the U.S. if the federal Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 is passed, according to U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz.
The bill was advanced from the committee last month and would ban any vehicle equipped with connected software or hardware from China.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), the bill’s co-sponsor, responded that the bill is not intended to ban the sale of Mercedes, as he was formerly a Mercedes dealer and his son currently is.
“Any car company in America, whether that’s Ford, General Motors, Toyota, or Honda, can compete with any company on earth,” Moreno said. “They can’t compete with an entire country that is set on destroying the Western auto industry.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley said during a town hall meeting last week that he expects Chinese automakers to enter the U.S. market in the next five to 10 years, according to Reuters.
Farley also recently said that it would be devastating to the American economy if Chinese vehicles are allowed into the country. He’s said that China has enough capacity to cover all vehicle sales in the U.S., with 100 automakers receiving direct government support.
While legacy automakers are partnering with Chinese groups, they’ve also pointed to concerns about Chinese automakers entering the U.S. market.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) also published a rule banning Chinese and Russian-connected vehicle technology last year. The bill would codify the regulation into law and add some additional language.
In 2024, a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) went into effect.
It also puts a 25% tariff on EV batteries, critical minerals, steel, aluminum, and ship-to-shore cranes, among other items, according to documents filed by the U.S. Trade Representative.
Multiple media sources have claimed the tariff on EVs is meant to ease concerns about China’s low-cost EVs.
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Tianshu Xin, Stellantis China and Asia-Pacific region/Stellantis