Stellantis plans to sell electric vehicles made by Leapmotor at its European dealerships from September in an unusual attempt by one of the continent’s biggest carmakers to capitalise on the ambitions of Chinese manufacturers to crack the regional market.
Leapmotor models will be available at Stellantis dealerships in nine markets, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, as the European carmaker moves rapidly to benefit from a tie-up it first struck with the Chinese group in October.
The investment saw Stellantis buy 20 per cent of Leapmotor for €1.5bn while the companies also formed a joint venture, Leapmotor International, that will be used to export the vehicles to Europe.