Leapmotor International plans to start selling the Leapmotor C10 and T03 in nine European countries starting in September, and plans to expand its European sales network to 200 by the end of 2024.
Leapmotor International, a joint venture between Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Leapmotor and Europe's second-largest car maker by sales, Stellantis NV (NYSE: STLA), has begun shipping Leapmotor EVs to Europe, where they will be available from September.
Leapmotor International, a 51:49 joint venture between Stellantis and Leapmotor, has shipped its first Leapmotor C10 and T03 EVs to Europe this month from the port of Shanghai, according to a press release from the European carmaker yesterday.
The joint venture plans to start selling the Leapmotor C10 and the T03 in nine European countries starting in September, and plans to expand its European sales outlets to 200 by the end of 2024.
Leveraging Stellantis' distribution channels, Leapmotor International also plans to increase its sales outlets in Europe to 500 by 2026, according to the release.
Starting in the fourth quarter of this year, Leapmotor International will also launch the C10 and T03 EVs in the Middle East and Africa, Asia-Pacific and South American markets.
The latest EV shipments are the beginning of a long-term partnership between Stellantis and Leapmotor that aims to change the landscape of the EV market in Europe and elsewhere, Stellantis said.
Over the next three years, Leapmotor International will launch at least one new model each year, according to the release.
Founded in 2015, Leapmotor was one of the first new car-making forces in China.
Leapmotor currently sells the T03, C01, C10, C11, and C16 in China, with all but the T03 offered in both battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants.
The C10 is an SUV (sport utility vehicle), Leapmotor's first global product based on the LEAP 3.0 technology architecture and built to global design and safety standards, with a WLTP range of 420 kilometers.
The T03 is a small five-door A00-class EV with a WLTP range of 265 kilometers.
On October 26, 2023, Leapmotor said that Stellantis would invest 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in it to gain about a 20 percent stake, making it the largest outside shareholder in the EV maker.
On May 14, Leapmotor announced the official launch of Leapmotor International, which would begin selling vehicles in Europe starting in September.
Leapmotor International is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and is headed by Xin Tianshu, vice president of Stellantis China, who serves as CEO of the joint venture.
Markets initially covered by the joint venture would include Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Portugal, Leapmotor said on May 14.
Leapmotor delivered 20,116 vehicles in June, up 52.29 percent from 13,209 in June last year and up 10.74 percent from May, according to figures it released earlier this month.
In the first half of the year, Leapmotor delivered 86,696 vehicles, up 94.81 percent.
(1 euro = $1.0819)
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