Stellantis Launches Global JV With China's Leapmotor

The Chinese joint venture with Stellantis announces it will begin selling battery-electric vehicles in European markets this autumn.

Leapmotor International, the company established in partnership between the Holland-based automotive group and China’s Leapmotor, is formally launched today with ambitions to market vehicles globally.

In a joint press conference, the companies set September as the month the JV will begin selling vehicles in several European markets starting with Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Portugal. It also has plans to expand its sales network to 200 by the end of the year. At the same time, the company expects to expand into South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific in the fourth quarter of this year.

Leapmotor International will market its products through Stellantis' more than 10,000 dealers worldwide to tap the global market. Two models will lead the marketing offensive, the T03 A-segment, 5-door urban-focused BEV claiming a maximum range of 165 miles (266 km); and the larger, family-centric D-segment C10 claiming 260-mile (419-km) WLTP range, with 5-star E-NCAP safety rating. The company claims a new model will be added to its range every year for the next three years.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says: “The creation of Leapmotor International is a great step forward in helping address the urgent global warming issue with state-of-the-art BEV models that will compete with existing Chinese brands in key markets around the world. Leveraging our existing global presence, we will soon be able to offer our customers price-competitive and tech-centric electric vehicles that will exceed their expectations.”