China’s Leap Motor is building the T03 small EV in the Polish Stellantis plant
You can already find Chinese cars in Europe, and soon, Europeans may be able to purchase a Chinese car manufactured in their own country. According to reports, Leap Motor plans to begin producing electric vehicles (EVs) at a Stellantis factory in Poland this spring.
They will be shipping partially assembled EV components from China to a European factory called Tychy, which has been producing the regular 500 model for 15 years. However, the factory will stop production after July because it does not meet new safety standards. Therefore, it will have extra capacity to produce the new EVs.
The T03 is a tiny electric car even smaller than the Mitsubishi Mirage or Hyundai i10. Unlike those cars, it is powered by electricity instead of gas.
It has a range of approximately 174 miles (280 km) and we don’t yet know the exact price, but it will likely be much cheaper than the Citroen eC3 produced by Stellantis. The Citroen eC3 costs €23,300 ($25,200), but a shorter-range model will be released in 2025 and will be priced at €19,900 ($21,500).
While other Chinese car manufacturers are planning to open new factories in countries like Italy and Hungary, Leap Motor has a head start thanks to the decision of Stellantis to purchase a 21% stake in it in October last year for $1.6 billion.
The two companies have formed a joint venture that will give Stellantis a stronger presence in China and, more importantly, will bring Leap Motor vehicles to Europe.
Leapmotor T03
The agreement gives Stellantis exclusive rights to manufacture and sell Leap Motor cars outside of China, although they may not be sold only in Europe. In fact, in February, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stated that they could also produce electric vehicles in the United States.
“At one point in time, Western governments may be tempted to block Chinese exports,” Auto News reported Tavares saying in February. “We have the opportunity to assemble Leapmotor cars inside the bubble. It could be Europe it could be North America.”
Western car manufacturers, such as Stellantis, are still struggling to produce electric vehicles (EVs) at a price point comparable to gasoline-powered cars.
They are under pressure from Chinese automakers, who are closing the price and performance gap between the two types of vehicles. Unless Western brands can find a way to make EVs more affordable, they may need to work with Chinese companies to help them enter the market.
