Leapmotor to double UK dealer network to 80 locations

By Andrew Ryan

Leapmotor UK officially launched in the UK on March 1, is aiming to almost double its number of dealerships by the end of the year.

The brand, which is a 51:49 joint venture between Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Leapmotor International and Stellantis Group, which is leading the agreement, currently has 44 sites.

It aims to expand this to 60 by the end of June and to just over 80 by the end of 2025.

Sales of Leapmotor models will be through a traditional franchised dealership model, and only Stellantis brands such as Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Vauxhall and Maserati dealers will be appointed Leapmotor franchise points.

Current franchisees include a number of major dealer groups, such as Arnold Clark, Greenhous, Snows and Robins & Day.

The Leapmotor dealership requires a space of 95 square metres within an existing facility – no standalone showroom is needed - with around 70% of current franchises going into Vauxhall sites.

Damian Dally, managing director of Leapmotor UK, said the joint venture will have multiple benefits for the brand.

He said: “Many of the new Chinese brands are unknown to the consumers, but of course everyone in the UK knows Vauxhall. Everyone knows Peugeot. Everyone knows Citroen.

“And in some cases, our dealers have been selling cars for three generations, so this is literally a plug-and-play option: we’ve got our ready-made network ready to go.”

The brand will also be supported by Stellantis Group back-office functions, such as the parts network, managed by Distrigo, which gives it next-day availability for 95% of parts.

Dally said: “If and when we need parts, we can get them super, super fast.

“That really is a key differentiator for us because it’s one thing to manufacture cars on the other side of the world, it’s a whole different ball game getting parts.

“It’s probably an unsexy thing, but sometimes the unsexist things are the most important things in life and parts availability is probably the one absolutely stand-out thing because it can be a problem.

“It’s a real USP, and we have to be bold enough to say no other Chinese brand can offer that. I’m not saying they will never be able to offer it, but right here, right now, no-one else can.

“Lack of parts means cars off-road, which means disappointed customers, higher costs and certainly for a new entrant it will deteriorate brand equity and faith in that brand very, very quickly.”

The brand has launched with two models – the T03 electric city car which has an on-the-road price of £15,995 and the C10 D-SUV which a range of up to 261 miles and is priced at £36,500.

These will remain the smallest and largest vehicles respectively in Leapmotor’s range, with three more models being launched before the end of 2027.

Dally said value is core to Leapmotor’s offering; not just through competitive pricing, but also the level of standard equipment and technology the cars have.

He added: “We’re making cutting-edge technology available at a really accessible price.

“We’re focusing on delivering customer value. We offer knock-out prices, but that is not the key thing here. It’s the combination of the technology and the incredibly high specification that you get for the price.

“Our mission statement, let’s be really clear, is not to be A value EV brand, but to be the best value EV brand, and that is not only about the price, but also the technology and equipment in our vehicles.

“We’re offering our cars in only one specification, which is super high, and this will show buyers that you don’t need to compromise; you can have a quality, well-equipped car at a value price.”