Leapmotor rollout plan targets 50 dealership sites by year-end

Stellantis has released more details about its rollout of China’s Leapmotor brand in the UK. They aim to set up a network of up to 50 retail sites by the end of 2024.

These sites will be hosted within existing Stellantis dealerships, including brands like Peugeot, Citroen, and Vauxhall. Two Leapmotor models are to be showcased at each site.

Stellantis’s investment provides the European car manufacturer exclusive export rights for Leapmotor products outside of China. This also allows the brand to offer more affordable electric vehicle options to customers in Europe, eventually contributing to Stellantis’s 2030 electrification targets.

The partnership between Stellantis and Leapmotor was solidified last year with Stellantis acquiring a 20% stake in the Chinese EV maker and the establishment of Leapmotor International, a joint venture aimed at expanding the Chinese manufacturer’s reach beyond its domestic market.

In the UK, Leapmotor will launch two fully electric models in January with each model on display at selected dealerships. The C10, a mid-size SUV with a range of 261 miles will be marketed against popular EVs like the Tesla Model 3 and the VW ID.4, while the compact T03 city car, which offers a range of 165 miles, will compete with models like the Fiat 500.

By relying on Stellantis’s well-established dealership and distribution channels, Leapmotor’s European presence is due to expand significantly, aiming to increase sales points to 500 across the continent by 2026.

Only Stellantis brands such as Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Vauxhall, and Maserati dealers will be appointed Leapmotor franchise points. Sales of Leapmotor models will be through a traditional franchised dealership model.

UK pricing for Leapmotor initial models will align with competitive brands such as BYD, GWM Ora, and Omoda, with the C10 likely to start at around £35,000. the C10 will be imported directly from China and the T03 will be assembled in Europe.

Damien Dally from Stellantis will head the UK The launch of Leapmotor. Further team appointments are to be announced.

Orders for Leapmotor vehicles have already opened with first deliveries expected by January. A marketing campaign will roll out alongside the first deliveries, targeting a broad customer base that will be further clarified at the brand’s official UK launch in the New Year.

A Stellantis spokesman told AM that the opportunity for Stellantis franchisees would “provide complementary, additional volume and profit opportunities using the existing, known channel business and logistics channels with Stellantis UK”.

Since its inception, Leapmotor now ranks as the fourth-largest new energy vehicle startup by sales in China, selling over 400,000 electric vehicles. This marks a milestone that its chief executive Zhu Jiangming said was a sign of Leapmotor’s readiness to enter the European market.