{"text":[[{"start":11.4,"text":"Jaguar Land Rover plans to develop vehicles in the US with Jeep owner Stellantis, in a move that could potentially allow the British carmaker to skirt President Donald Trump’s tariffs by building cars locally. "}],[{"start":23.950000000000003,"text":"The UK carmaker, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, will collaborate on product and technology development in a deal that could potentially involve producing vehicles in a US Stellantis plant, according to one person close to the talks."}],[{"start":38.85,"text":"Under a trade deal between the US and UK, there is a 10 per cent tariff for the first 100,000 vehicles that are imported from the UK each year. "}],[{"start":48.05,"text":"Negotiations between the two groups are still in the early stages, but JLR’s chief executive PB Balaji said in a statement that the partnership with Stellantis would support its “long-term growth plans for the US market”. The company aims to expand in the US with the upcoming launches of its electric Range Rover and Jaguar models."}],[{"start":67.85,"text":"Stellantis chief executive Antonio Filosa has sought to revive the struggling group through a series of partnerships with rival carmakers that he hopes will help to ensure the future of its European factories and strengthen its technology offerings."}],[{"start":82.44999999999999,"text":"Earlier on Wednesday, Stellantis said it would form a joint venture with Dongfeng to produce the Chinese state-owned group’s high-end electric vehicles at its underutilised plant in France. "}],[{"start":94.39999999999999,"text":"Under the agreement signed between the two groups, Stellantis plans to share production with Dongfeng at its Rennes plant, which is operating at about half its full capacity."}],[{"start":104.44999999999999,"text":"Stellantis will also assist with Dongfeng’s overseas expansion by helping with sales and distribution of the Wuhan-based group’s Voyah brand in Europe. The joint venture, which will be 51 per cent owned by Stellantis and the remainder by Dongfeng, will also involve the purchasing of parts and engineering."}],[{"start":121.99999999999999,"text":"Stellantis this month also finalised a €1bn deal with Dongfeng to produce new Peugeot and Jeep models in China for the Chinese market as well as for export."}],[{"start":132.64999999999998,"text":"The legacy Chinese carmaker is under heavy pressure to expand its international sales as it wrestles with a price war in its home market. Dongfeng has also been left behind as upstarts, including BYD and Leapmotor, have embraced EV technology. "}],[{"start":147.49999999999997,"text":"In a statement, Dongfeng chair Qing Yang said the joint venture would “accelerate Dongfeng’s global expansion, [and] support Stellantis’ global strategic shift and China presence”. "}],[{"start":159.64999999999998,"text":"The twin deals with Dongfeng, its former joint venture partner in China and which has retained a stake in Stellantis, highlight a growing interdependence between European and Chinese manufacturers. "}],[{"start":171.45,"text":"Stellantis recently expanded its partnership with Leapmotor following the purchase of a 21 per cent stake in the Chinese start-up in 2023. "}],[{"start":179.75,"text":"Under a deal also announced this month, the European carmaker will transfer one of its two Spanish factories to Leapmotor and jointly develop an electric sport utility vehicle under the Opel brand using the Chinese group’s technology."}],[{"start":194.35,"text":"European car plants operated at an average 68 per cent utilisation rate this year, but Stellantis factories were operating at about 49 per cent, with rates particularly low in Italy, according to research company S&P Global Mobility."}],[{"start":209.25,"text":"Chinese electric-car maker Xpeng is in talks with Volkswagen and other carmakers about buying a factory in Europe, while Nissan is discussing with Chery and other Chinese automakers about the use of idle capacity at its Sunderland plant in the UK."}],[{"start":231.75,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1779319150_9315.mp3"}