Stellantis

About 2,000 Chinese workers will participate in the factory's construction, with production expected to start by late 2026, according to Reuters.

Leapmotor will first produce its B10 compact SUV at a Stellantis plant in Spain, followed by the B05.

Leapmotor and Stellantis plan to start production of the Leapmotor C10 SUV in Malaysia by the end of 2025.

The Spanish plant will be CATL's third in Europe, with a total planned investment of $4.26 billion and an annual capacity of up to 50 GWh.

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's first T03 small EVs rolled off Stellantis' assembly plant in Poland last week and were on schedule for mass production in September, according to Reuters.

Leapmotor's move to dismantle its overseas operations unit may be part of its partnership deal with Stellantis, according to local media.

Leapmotor International will initially cover markets including Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and Portugal, and plans to expand its European sales network to 200 by the end of the year.

Leapmotor's chairman and Stellantis CEO will appear together at a joint press conference next week, where they will jointly announce the formation of Leapmotor International, according to local media.

Production of the Leapmotor T03 small EV will begin as early as the second quarter of this year, using so-called semi-knocked down (SKD) technique, according to Reuters.