Opening the doors of Europe wide to a Chinese manufacturer to better withstand the massive arrival of… Chinese manufacturers. The alliance established by Stellantis with Leapmotor may seem contradictory. The second European automotive group will begin, on Monday 23 September in Milan, a wide-ranging collaboration that will allow the Hangzhou brand (in eastern China) to market its first two electric models on the Old Continent, thanks to the support of the group led by Carlos Tavares, who says he finds it of interest.
Almost a year after signing an agreement in which Stellantis paid 1.5 billion euros to become a 21% shareholder in Leapmotor, the latter is launching the T03, a small city model offered at a price of 19,500 euros (18,900 euros launch price), and the C10, a large SUV offered from 36,400 euros. The T03, assembled from components mainly imported from China at the Stellantis factory in Tychy (Poland), could nevertheless escape the additional customs duties imposed by Europe on models made in China and claim the 4,000 euro bonus granted by France to the most virtuous electric vehicles, upon request of the manufacturer.
If the verdict, which will be announced in the coming weeks, is favourable, the T03, which has a range of 265 kilometres and can seat four people, will be particularly competitive compared to the Dacia Spring (Renault Group), its only real rival, which is less technologically advanced and penalised. due to its production in the Middle Kingdom (deprived of subsidies, it is billed 18,900 euros in bonuses). The C10, for its part, cannot benefit from any subsidy, but its price already places it in a relatively well-positioned price range.
Distribution network
Marketed by Leapmotor International, the company intended to distribute the Chinese manufacturer’s cars outside China, whose shareholders are Stellantis (51%) and Leapmotor (49%), these two models feed the first salvo of an offensive that should allow the distribution of 500,000 vehicles per year in 2030 (including 400,000 in Europe) through the launch “at least one new product per year until 2027”A distribution network has been created based on the group’s brands (Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, etc.), which will enable a space in some of its dealerships dedicated to Leapmotor, whose name plays on the English term. leapwhich means “leap”. In France, the brand already has nearly seventy points of sale and should add one hundred and twenty by 2025. The objective is to reach eight thousand registrations in France in 2025, double that in 2026 and then thirty thousand.
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