Chinese brand Leapmotor headed to Australia
BY MATT BROGAN | 16th May 2024
CHINESE electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor and the giant Stellantis car-making conglomerate have announced that the two companies have received “all required authorisations” to form Leapmotor International, a Stellantis-led joint venture to be headquartered in Amsterdam.
Initially, and as reported by GoAuto earlier this month, the company aims to expand Leapmotor offerings into European markets, before expanding to India and the Asia Pacific region (including Australia), the Middle East and Africa, and South America from the fourth quarter of this year.
At the helm is former Stellantis China executive Tianshu Xin, who as CEO of Leapmotor International is reportedly “laying the groundwork” for the introduction of its T03 and C10 models (pictured).
Leapmotor International will have exclusive rights for the export and sale, as well as the manufacture of, Leapmotor products outside of China.
The company said it aims to further boost sales within China, the largest car market in the world, while “leveraging Stellantis’ established global commercial presence to significantly accelerate Leapmotor sales in other regions,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
“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.
“Under Tianshu Xin’s leadership, they have built a compelling worldwide commercial and industrial strategy to quickly ramp-up the sales distribution channels to support Leapmotor’s robust growth and create value for both partners.”
Leapmotor founder, chairman and chief executive officer Jiangming Zhu said the partnership represents a new chapter in the global integration of China’s intelligent electric vehicle industry.
“The partnership between Leapmotor and Stellantis demonstrates a high level of efficiency, opening a new chapter in the global integration of China’s intelligent electric vehicle industry,” he said.
“Leveraging Leapmotor's cutting-edge technology and products, along with Stellantis' support in areas such as overseas channels, services, and marketing, we hope that users around the world can experience the exceptional driving and riding experience brought by Leapmotor products.
“We believe that this cooperation can give Leapmotor a boost to become a respected world-class intelligent electric vehicle company.”
The partnership between Leapmotor and Stellantis will leverage the distribution channels of the latter, initially offering vehicles into markets including France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Greece and Romania from September 2024.
It is estimated that Leapmotor International will have 200 points of sale across the European Union by the end of the year, raming up to 500 by 2026.
In late 2024, the Leapmotor product roll-out will expand to Turkey, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Brazil, and Chile.
