Leapmotor International, a 51/49 joint venture between Stellantis and Leapmotor, has finally dispatched the initial batch of its electric vehicles from China to European ports this month ahead of sales opening in August 2024.
Leapmotor International Ships initial batch of EVs to Europe
Leapmotor International’s C10 electric SUVs and T03 five-door electric city cars have already set sail for Europe, aligning with its plans to kick off sales next month.
The joint venture plans to sell the first batch of Leapmotor EVs at 200 locations in the region by the end of 2024, gradually expanding to 500 by the end of 2026.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares expressed his delight with the successful shipment of the first C10 and T03 EVs from Shanghai to Europe, even projecting them to attract significant interest from European customers.
“The shipment of Leapmotor C10 and T03 vehicles to Europe this month is a landmark moment in the partnership between Stellantis and Leapmotor…
We are excited about the opportunities this partnership brings and look forward to a successful journey together.”
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares
Tariff situation
As of now, Stellantis is subject to an import tariff of approximately 30% to 38% on China-made electric cars it sells in the European market.
For those unaware, the European Commission recently announced extra import tariffs on Chinese EVs as a result of the anti-subsidy probe that apparently leads to unfair undercutting of industry pricing in the EU.
However, CEO Tavares shared plans earlier this month to assemble Leapmotor EVs in Europe to “get around these tariffs.”
What’s special about the C10 SUV and T03 models?
Leapmotor International’s C10 and T03 electric vehicles feature cutting-edge technologies, delivering outstanding performance, efficiency, and driving range.
As noted by the Leapmotor boss, they developed the C10 and T03 EVs to adhere to high standards for customers across the world as they are the brand’s first global products.
The C10 is a family-centric D-segment electric vehicle with a WLTP-rated driving range of 420 km. It rides on Leapmotor’s self-developed LEAP3.0 platform, offering innovative, intelligent electric tech like the following:
- central integrated electronic and electrical architecture
- cell-to-chassis (CTC) technology
- Leapmotor’s flagship intelligent cockpit
On the other hand, the Leapmotor T03 is a small five-door electric car, offering a WLTP-rated driving range of 265 km between charges.
“As of the first half of July, Leapmotor has accumulatively sold over 400,000 EVs in China since the company’s first sale. China is the biggest and most competitive EV market in the world, and our products have proved their value by being acclaimed by local customers.
Since the very beginning, the C10 and T03 models are designed to meet the high standards of global customers and we are confident that the collaboration between Stellantis and Leapmotor will drive significant growth for both companies.”
Leapmotor Founder, Chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming
Apart from Europe, Stellantis also aims to expand Leapmotor International’s footprint to the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and South America toward the end of 2024.
The Stellantis-Leapmotor partnership also aims to roll out at least one new model every year in the next three years.
