The Leapmotor fleet has set sail for Europe

A first fleet of 100% electric Leapmotor T03 and C10 vehicles has set sail from China to Europe.

Leapmotor International is a joint venture between Stellantis and Leapmotor, managed by Stellantis with a 51/49 split. With €1.5 billion at stake, the union is highly ambitious. Its goal is to market the 100% electric vehicles of the fourth largest Chinese manufacturer in Europe, leveraging Stellantis’s commercial and technical infrastructures. A first batch of the T03 city car and the C10 SUV has therefore set sail from Shanghai, China, heading to European ports.

The C10 SUV is the first vehicle from Leapmotor, specifically developed to meet global standards, as evidenced by its 5-star EURONCAP rating. The T03 is a small urban city car that offers a range of 265 km according to the WLTP standard. It was ranked number 1 in the initial quality study by JD Power in the segment of small electric vehicles.

Leapmotor a Chinese Trojan Horse?

“The first delivery this month of Leapmotor T03 and C10 vehicles to Europe marks a historic moment in our partnership,”“I am convinced that Leapmotor’s electric vehicles will be widely accepted by European customers.”

Thanks to Stellantis’s distribution networks, Leapmotor will immediately benefit from 200 points of sale by the end of 2024, a figure that will rise to 500 by 2026. This is where the strength and intelligence of this partnership lie, as no young manufacturer, whether Chinese or otherwise, can ever have such power when entering Europe. Of course, the T03 and C10 will directly compete with Stellantis brand models, but the latter will still enjoy a reputation and recognition for several more years that Leapmotor cannot currently claim. But this will only be temporary…

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