Stellantis recorded a 12% year-on-year increase in global vehicle shipments to an estimated 1.4 million units in the first quarter of 2026, led by a surge in North American markets, the group announced in an April 15 release.
At the same time, North America saw a 17% jump in shipments in Q1 to 379,000 units, a year-over-year increase of 54,000 vehicles. Stellantis said this improvement reflects increased momentum in the region, with shipments of the Ram 1500 (light-duty) HEMI V8, refreshed Jeep Grand Wagoneer and the all-new Jeep Cherokee accounting for the growth.
The increase was partially offset by lower Jeep Compass shipments due to the ramp-up of Jeep Cherokee production, which is also built alongside the Compass at Stellantis’ Toluca Assembly Plant in Mexico.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa had predicted a shipments rebound for the new Jeep Cherokee in North America following an uptick in Q3 2025 shipments last autumn.
In the enlarged European region, Q1 shipments increased by about 69,000 units to 637,000 vehicles, a 12% YoY increase. The company said its passenger car volume growth was driven by new model launches.
Stellantis’ Fiat, Opel/Vauxhall and Citroën brand shipments benefited from the performance of new Smart Car platform vehicles, including the Citroën C3, C3 Aircross, Opel/Vauxhall Frontera and Fiat Grande Panda. Combined sales of these models increased 85% YoY to approximately 48,000 units.
Vehicles built by Stellantis’ joint venture with Leapmotor in China also gained commercial momentum, with shipments increasing to 27,000 units from just 5,000 for the same period in 2025.
Shipments to the Middle East and Africa region in Q1 increased by 11% YoY to 111,000 units, driven mainly by the introduction of the new Citroën and Opel Smart platform vehicles in Turkey.
Vehicle shipments to South America grew by 4% YoY, driven by Brazil with an increase of 11% to approximately 17,000 units. However, Argentina saw a 19% decline in shipments in Q1, which Stellantis blamed on competition from new entrants from China.
