Leapmotor delivered its very first vehicle in June 2019, and by June 2026, it aims to cross a staggering 1.5 million cumulative global sales, blasting past milestones of 500,000 in October 2024 and one million by October 2025.
Granted, nobody is plastering posters of a Leapmotor on their bedroom wall. Their six-model lineup of electric and hybrid vehicles boasts styling so utterly anonymous it makes a kitchen toaster look like sculpted art. Yet, in an era where new car prices have climbed into the stratosphere, these budget mobility pods offer consumers something far more seductive than emotion: price tags low enough to make used-car shoppers jump ship.
What makes Leapmotor’s rapid global expansion truly fascinating isn’t just cheap battery packs, but its cozy marriage with Stellantis. In late 2023, the transatlantic auto giant bought a 21% stake in the Chinese newcomer, establishing Leapmotor International, a 51%-Stellantis-controlled joint venture created to handle production, exports, and sales outside China.
The payoff was instant. In France, backed by 126 distribution points embedded inside Stellantis dealerships, Leapmotor posted a 150% sales surge in the first seven months of the year, topping 4,000 registrations. While modest compared to BYD’s 16,500 units (+156%), it proves the European appetite for wallet-friendly Chinese hardware is very real.
The industrial plot thickens on European soil. Starting this October, the B10 electric urban SUV will roll off the assembly line at Stellantis’ Zaragoza plant in Spain, rubbing shoulders with the next electric Peugeot 208 and an Opel cousin sharing its platform. By 2028, Leapmotor is even poised to acquire full ownership of Stellantis’ Madrid factory, unlocking the coveted European eco-scores required to tap into the lucrative corporate fleet market.
Stellantis pitches this as a win-win, leveraging Chinese EV tech while utilizing European manufacturing capability. Yet, one cannot help but recall former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares’ razor-sharp assessment of the deal: if Stellantis ever stumbles, Leapmotor won’t need to break down the front door.
