Stellantis starts building low-cost Leapmotor EV in Poland
Stellantis has reportedly begun building budget EVs from its Chinese partner Leapmotor in Poland.
The first examples of the T03 city car have already rolled off the production line in Tychy plant ahead of full-scale manufacturing beginning in September, according to a report from investment bank Jeffries.
The finance group said that Leapmotor had confirmed the start of production in a weekend analyst call.
Stellantis, which owns Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall among its 14 brands, took a €1.5 billion, 21% stake in China’s Leapmotor last year and announced in May that it was launching the Leapmotor International joint venture to sell Leapmotor cars in Europe by the end of 2024.
Building the T03 in Poland will allow Leapmotor to avoid the hefty tariffs set to be imposed by the EU on EV imports from China. According to Reuters, Leapmotor estimates that production costs in Poland will be on a par with those in China but without the impact of the new tariffs.
At 3.6 metres long and with a range of around 165 miles, the T03 is being positioned to challenge the Dacia Spring at the ultra-cheap end of the EV market.
European sales of the T03 will begin later in 2024, with UK sales expected to start in early 2025.
The T03 will be followed in 2025 by the A12 SUV, which Jeffries also reported would be built at the Polish plant where the Fiat 500 is currently made. The C10 SUV is expected to be built in China for export around the world, including to European markets.
