Jeep parent Stellantis partnering with Jaguar Land Rover on vehicle development

Automotive giant Stellantis is continuing to establish partnerships with other brands, and has announced it plans to collaborate with JLR (formerly known as Jaguar Land Rover) on new models.

The European-American giant, headquartered in the Netherlands, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to “explore opportunities to collaborate on product development in the United States”.

The two automakers are seeking to “explore collaboration opportunities to create synergies across product and technology development, leveraging the companies’ complementary strengths to create value for both organisations”.

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In the US market, Stellantis offers the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands, plus Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Maserati.

It manufactures vehicles for the Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands in the US, whereas JLR doesn’t currently have any US production – making it more susceptible to pressures from US government tariffs.

It’s unclear what synergies the two firms may identify, but JLR and Stellantis currently own the world’s two most iconic off-roader brands: Jeep and Land Rover.

“By working with partners to explore synergies in areas such as product and technology development, we can create meaningful benefits for both sides while remaining focused on delivering the products and experiences our customers love,” said Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa in a release.

“As we continue to evolve JLR for the future, collaboration will play an important role in unlocking new opportunities. Working with Stellantis allows us to explore complementary capabilities in product and technology development that support our long‑term growth plans for the US market,” said JLR CEO PB Balaji.

Mr Filosa is announcing more details of Stellantis’ new strategy today, May 21, at its Investor Day.

The JLR news is the latest partnership announcement from Stellantis, which established a joint venture with Leapmotor in 2023 to distribute the Chinese automaker’s vehicles globally.

It recently announced this partnership was expanding, with Stellantis to use Leapmotor components for a new vehicle for its Opel brand.

This month, Stellantis also announced it was expanding its partnership with Chinese automaker Dongfeng.

The two firms have had a long-standing joint venture in China, first established 34 years ago, and this partnership is now being expanded with Dongfeng to produce Peugeot and Jeep models for both Chinese and export markets.

Stellantis will lead a European joint venture with Dongfeng, which has been outlined in a non-binding MoU.

Like Leapmotor International, Stellantis will have a 51 per cent stake in this joint venture, with vehicles from Dongfeng’s premium Voyah brand to be sold and distributed in Europe, tapping into Stellantis’ existing sales and service network.

Dongfeng vehicles may also be produced in France.

Earlier this month, CNEVPost also reported Stellantis was collaborating with tech giant Huawei and Chinese automaker JAC on a new electric vehicle (EV) for Maserati, currently Stellantis' flagship brand.

Stellantis has 14 brands, but it reportedly plans to announce it will focus most of its funding and energy on four core brands: Fiat, Peugeot, Jeep and Ram.

The automotive giant, created in 2021 from a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA, lost €22.3 billion (A$37bn) in 2025.

This was primarily due to costs related to its electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid push, and a subsequent pivot back towards petrol power.

MORE: Stellantis to focus on Fiat, Peugeot, Jeep and Ram, but won't axe other brands – report