Leapmotor to sell ultra-affordable electric cars in UK

Chinese brand Leapmotor will start selling cars in Europe this September, with the promise of making electric vehicles (EVs) more affordable, while UK sales should start in early 2025.

The announcement comes in the wake of Stellantis (which owns the Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Peugeot and Vauxhall brands, among others) signing a partnership with Leapmotor last October.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said: “Along with issues around charging infrastructure, [a lack of] affordability is the number one problem with extending the take-up of EVs around the world. But we will now be able to accelerate that roll out."

He continued: “We will be able to compete [on price] with other Chinese brands that are leveraging the cost competitiveness of manufacturing in China, allowing us to make EVs affordable for the middle classes of Europe.”

Those Chinese brands that already sell in the UK include BYD, which offers its BYD Dolphin from £26,195, and MG, whose MG4 EV costs from £26,995. However, Leapmotor's entry-level model – the T03 small car – is likely to be even cheaper, making it a rival to the £14,995 Dacia Spring.

Other models in Leapmotor’s current line-up include the C01 saloon and the C11 SUV. But while those cars are offered as both full EVs and range-extending plug-in hybrids in China, only the former variants are expected to come to Europe.

In addition to being able to offer more affordable EVs, one of the key reasons for Stellantis investing in Leapmotor is the company’s technology arm. The brand is at the forefront of autonomous driving technology in China and in developing next-generation computing power for future EVs.

Under the terms of the partnership, Stellantis has a 21% stake in Leapmotor, but is the majority owner of Leapmotor International, under which the brand's cars will be sold outside of China.

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