Stellantis boss will reposition Citroën and Peugeot in Brazil; Fiat will be among them

The rapid advance of Chinese automakers in Brazil and other countries is justified in China itself. The world’s largest domestic market, with more than 31 million automobiles and light commercial vehicles in 2025, has raised domestic competition to predatory level and the autocratic government’s order was to export with the help of subsidies. The escalation of the set of 16 Chinese brands on sale today added, in the first half of 2026, more than the participation of the overall leader Fiat, according to the consultancy Bright.

Herlander Zola, who has been in charge of Stellantis’ operations in the country and South America since October last year, told reporters in Belo Horizonte (MG) last week that the current strategy is to reposition the group’s two French brands to ensure profitability.

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Zolla has not set participation targets, but will put Peugeot a little above and Citroën a little below Fiat in the domestic market. There will be complementarity as a strategy, always in harmony with internal demand and the free choice of the dealership network.

Chinese brands

As for the agreements to include partnerships with Chinese brands, relations are consolidated with Leapmotor, including the production in Goiana (PE), in 2027, under the CKD regime (completely disassembled vehicles) of the B10 and C10 electric models (the latter also with extended range by combustion motor-generator for long trips without worrying about recharging). Stellantis has 51% of the shares of Leapmotor’s international division.

In the case of Dongfeng, there is caution on the part of Stellantis since the Chinese brand is in talks with Nissan, whose plant in Resende (RJ) was inaugurated in 2014. Zola assured: “Two operations in Brazil will not be possible. Either one or the other.”