Vauxhall x Leapmotor: is this the future of European cars?

May 13, 2026

Vauxhall has confirmed it’s developing a new electric SUV for 2028 and, perhaps more importantly, it's happy to announce Chinese technology will play a major role in making it happen faster and more affordably.

The model will sit between the Vauxhall Frontera and Vauxhall Grandland in size, targeting one of the busiest parts of the family SUV market currently dominated by cars like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Elroq.

For everyday company car drivers, the bigger story is what this says about how quickly the market is changing.

Rather than developing everything from scratch, Vauxhall is using technology and engineering from Chinese EV specialist Leapmotor to speed up development and help keep costs lower. But Vauxhall insists the car itself will still feel like a Vauxhall, particularly in areas drivers actually notice day to day like ride comfort, seating, refinement, and ease of use.

Interestingly, the company also confirmed physical buttons will remain inside the cabin, which many drivers will probably see as good news after years of increasingly touchscreen-heavy interiors.

The SUV will still be built in Europe too, at Stellantis’ factory in Spain, highlighting how closely European and Chinese car makers are now starting to work together rather than simply competing against each other.