You would think that Stellantis’ brand portfolio is large enough, but no, they are coming with another brand.
Yesterday we were able to report the happy news that Lancia is back in the Netherlands. No one would have been surprised if Stellantis had dealt the final blow to the brand, but the motto is: the more brands, the better. That’s why Stellantis is now launching ANOTHER brand.
Now you may think of Chrysler or Dodge, but no, it is a Chinese brand. Of course, we don’t have enough of that yet. Stellantis has a joint venture with Leapmotor, a Chinese start-up that was founded in 2015.
Leapmotor is already making a name for itself in China, but they obviously have bigger ambitions than that. Leapmotor wants to make the leap to Europe this year. They will initially come to nine countries, including – thank God – the Netherlands.
Leapmotor kicks off with two models: the C10 and the T03. The C10 is – how could it be otherwise – an electric crossover. To be precise, a D-segment crossover, with a WLTP range of 420 km.
Another Chinese crossover is the last thing we need, but the T03 is a bit more interesting. This is an electric A-segment car. This actually fills the gap left by the Smart ForFour. Coincidentally, the T03 also looks exactly like the Smart. The range is 265 km. That is not very much, but it is double that of the Smart ForFour.
Prices have not yet been announced, but you can count on Leapmotor to charge reasonable prices. The T03 could well become one of the cheapest EVs. Leapmotor will make its appearance in Europe in September, including the Netherlands. So somewhere, another Stellantis dealer will have to clear a corner.
Comments
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ericc say
There is still room in the basement…
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Richmond say
I know from an ex-colleague that Nefkens (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel) also have to sell Xpeng.
