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Stellantis Is Exploring Cooperation With Chinese EV Builders Leapmotor
The European car industry can no longer ignore the Chinese one and this is also evident from the increasingly extensive mutual cooperation. Now Stellantis seems to be up to something with Leapmotor.
Various European-Chinese joint ventures are already active in China, but the cooperation between European and Chinese car manufacturers seems to be getting closer in some areas. For example, the Volkswagen Group is partnering with SAIC for the joint development of EVs. Stellantis may also be breeding such a partnership. According to Bloomberg, the French-Italian-American mega concern is in contact with the Chinese Leapmotor. The goal is to increase Stellantis’ presence in China. Stellantis has actually withdrawn considerably in recent years.
Leapmotor is not yet a major player and we are not (yet) familiar with it here in Europe. At the end of 2020, we became digitally acquainted with the Leapmotor C11, an electric SUV that seems to want to attack the Tesla Model Y with a favorable price tag, among others. The same year also saw the appearance of the somewhat Smart Forfour-looking T03. An electric little one that should make large numbers of Chinese people silently mobile. The specifications on paper do not sound bad for both cars and Stellantis may also see something in it. For now, both companies are keeping quiet. Incidentally, Volkswagen was also recently associated with Leapmotor.
