• Stellantis is forming a partnership with Leapmotor, a Chinese manufacturer of affordable electric vehicles.
As a step in that direction, the company is now turning its attention to China. It is currently in the process of forming a global strategic partnership with Leapmotor, a Chinese EV maker founded in 2015. Last year, Leapmotor sold some 111,000 vehicles in its home market. Stellantis and Leapmotor will also form a joint venture called Leapmotor International, in which Stellantis will have a 51-percent stake. It will be involved in producing, exporting and selling Leapmotor vehicles outside China. The first exports are scheduled for the second half of 2024, and initially they will be heading to Europe.
In addition, Stellantis and Leapmotor say that they are open to exploring new synergies that could potentially lead to platform sharing and joint model development. Volkswagen and Chinese firm Xpeng signed a similar agreement last July.