Stellantis has held a 20 percent stake in Leapmotor since last year, with the aim of expanding its presence in the Chinese market while facilitating the entry of Leapmotor’s electric vehicles into Europe.
As we have already commented in a previous post here at HighMotor the Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor, in collaboration with Stellantis, began production of the T03 electric model at the Polish Tychy plant just before the summer. The latest reports now indicate, however, that this model could be the last Leapmotor electric model manufactured in Poland, since the company plans to move production of its next vehicle with this propulsion system, the B10, to Germany.
Everything indicates that the Leapmotor B10, presented last October, It will finally be assembled at the German Stellantis plant in Eisenachdestined until now for the production mainly of Opel models.
The reason for this decision seems to be based fundamentally on geopolitical pressures, rather than on the company’s business strategy. According to these reports, the Chinese government has asked automobile companies in its country to avoid making significant investments in European countries that supported special tariffs on electric vehicles produced in China which came into force at the end of October. Germany remained against the application of these special tariffs, while Poland voted in favor, which makes the German country a better option for the Chinese government to start B10 production there.
Will the same happen with the rest of Leapmotor’s electric models destined for the European market?
Although the T03 is currently produced with Chinese-made components at the Polish Tychy plant, it is however unclear whether its production will also move to Germany or some other European country, as neither Leapmotor nor China’s Ministry of Commerce has commented. pronounced on the matter. On the other hand, the Leapmotor C10 model, which is also sold in Europe, is currently still manufactured in China, although there are already plans to move its production to Europe. However, it has not been determined which European plant.
It is important to note, finally, that the transfer of B10 production to Germany could increase the costs of the labor necessary for its manufacture, which as a consequence could end up affecting the final price of the vehicle and its competitiveness in the market. Leapmotor’s goal in Europe is to offer the most advanced technology at affordable prices, a goal that would be somewhat more difficult to achieve as a result of this decision.
