Stellantis has found a clever, legal way to avoid 350 million euros in CO₂ penalties in Europe... and the deal has just been made official

A month after the first signals, it's now official: Stellantis takes action. The group headed by Antonio Filosa has signed an agreement with its Chinese partner Leapmotor to purchase carbon credits in Europe and the UK. A strategic decision that confirms a major shift in the management of CO₂ emissions... and fully validates the strategy we already mentioned in early March.

Confirmation

On March 31, 2026, Leapmotor formalized the signing of an agreement for the transfer of CO₂ credits to Stellantis. The information, communicated to the market via a document filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange, confirms an underlying trend: the European automotive group no longer dependent on Tesla to stay within regulatory limits.

Specifically, the agreement covers all credits generated by sales of Leapmotor electric vehicles (BEVs) and range-extending electric vehicles (REEVs) in Europe between March 31 and December 31, 2026. These credits will be transferred to Stellantis Group entities to offset fleet emissions. In other words, what was merely an anticipated strategy has now become an official mechanism.

Leapmotor becomes a regulatory lever

This partnership is a perfect illustration of Leapmotor's evolving role within the Stellantis ecosystem. The Chinese brand is no longer content to be a simple industrial or commercial partner: it has become a key tool for managing European regulatory constraints.

At a time when emissions thresholds are becoming ever stricter, and penalties can run into billions of euros, having an in-house supplier of carbon credits is a considerable advantage. Leapmotor, with its fully electrified range, naturally generates a surplus of credits. Stellantis, for its part, can use them to offset the emissions of its brands, such as Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep, which are still heavily dependent on combustion engines. A perfectly complementary system... and now contractualized.

A structured agreement that's already profitable

In detail, the agreement provides for a very tight operating framework. Credit prices will be set according to market conditions, based on comparable transactions. Payments will be made on a quarterly basis: Leapmotor will invoice credits after certification, and Stellantis will pay within thirty days.

This framework shows that we're no longer dealing with simple opportunistic cooperation, but with a structured financial mechanism. And the amounts involved are far from trivial.

After generating around 1.1 billion yuan from carbon credits in 2025, Leapmotor estimates that these revenues could exceed 2.8 billion yuan in 2026, or almost 350 million euros. This increase will be driven by commercial expansion in Europe and the arrival of new models. For Stellantis, this represents the equivalent of avoided penalties.

Strategy confirmed, Tesla definitively ruled out

Above all, this agreement formalizes a deeper strategic shift. As we explained a month ago, Stellantis has left Tesla's CO₂ pool, Leapmotor, putting an end to a long-standing dependence on the American manufacturer. With Leapmotor, the Group is not simply replacing one supplier with another. It is also internalizing part of its regulatory risk management.

The difference is major: Tesla was an external partner... Leapmotor is a strategic ally in which Stellantis holds nearly 20 %, with the addition of a joint venture dedicated to Europe. The group is thus building its own source of carbon credits, with far greater control over volumes, costs and strategy.

A mechanism set to expand

The agreement signed for 2026 is probably only a first step. All the indications are that this mechanism is set to gain momentum in the years to come. With the gradual deployment of Leapmotor in Europe, increased volumes and local production, the potential for generating CO₂ credits will continue to grow.

And with it, Stellantis' ability to absorb the emissions from its combustion models without switching too quickly to all-electric. This choice, both pragmatic and financial, could well become one of the pillars of the group's business model in the years to come.

One thing is certain: Stellantis is no longer subject to European regulations. He's learning to play by the rules... and to his advantage.