Stellantis teams up with LeapMotor to bring affordable electric cars to Europe

Stellantis, the automotive giant that encompasses a total of 16 car brands, has a plan to put -and also in other markets- truly affordable electric vehicles in the hands of European customers. To carry it out, like other Western manufacturers, Stellantis has sought a partner in the Chinese market that will help it reach this goal.

According to the latest reports, the company has invested 1.5 billion euros to acquire a 20 percent stake in the Chinese manufacturer LeapMotor. Following this move, the intention of both companies is now to create a joint venture under the name LeapMotor International, based in the Netherlands, which will be responsible for introducing new low-priced electric models in Europe. All of them produced in China.

This Stellantis strategy is particularly striking, since in a certain sense it seems to clash with the company’s recent announcement regarding the future marketing of affordable electric models under some of the group’s brands. This would be the case, for example, of the recently presented Citroen e-C3. An urban electric vehicle priced below 25 thousand euros, which will compete with rivals such as the future Renault 5 electric, or the ID.2 and the Cupra Raval from the Volkswagen Group.

A possible explanation could be, however, that Stellantis intends for the new LeapMotor electric vehicles arriving in Europe to be positioned one step below all of these models we have just mentioned in price. Even below 20 thousand euros. Although this is just speculation. Time will tell.

A look at LeapMotor’s catalogue in China

Currently, LeapMotor sells in China models such as the T03, a vehicle just 362 cm long which, at the exchange rate, costs there a little over 10 thousand euros. In any case, let us not forget that the price of any electric model sold in China practically doubles for multiple reasons when that same model finally reaches the European market.

LeapMotor also sells in the Chinese market some other slightly more expensive vehicles, such as the C01 saloon or the C11 SUV, which in this case could indeed rival some of the models in Stellantis’s range. It is not clear, therefore, whether it would be interesting for the company to bring them to Europe as well.

Stellantis intends for the first batch of vehicles produced by LeapMotor to reach Europe next year, with the aim that by 2030 sales will reach half a million units annually, not only in Europe but also in other markets, and one million in China itself.