Leapmotor rollout plan targets 50 UK dealerships by year-end

Stellantis has told Automotive Management more details about its rollout of China’s Leapmotor brand in the UK and is planning a network of up to 50 retail sites by the end of 2024.

These locations will be hosted within existing Stellantis dealerships, including brands like Peugeot, Citroen, and Vauxhall, showcasing two Leapmotor models per site.

The idea is to leverage Stellantis’s established dealerships, creating a seamless integration for Leapmotor within familiar environments without needing standalone showrooms.

AM100 dealer groups Vertu Motors, Arnold Clark and OEM-owned Stellantis &You are expected to be among the Leapmotor franchisees, AM understands.

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.

Leapmotor UK will be headed by Stellantis UK's current Fiat and Abarth managing director Damien Dally. Further team appointments will be announced in due course.

The partnership between Stellantis and Leapmotor was solidified last year with Stellantis acquiring a 20% stake in the Chinese EV maker and the establishment of Leapmotor International, a joint venture aimed at expanding the Chinese manufacturer’s reach outside its domestic market.

Stellantis’s investment not only gives the European car manufacturer exclusive export rights for Leapmotor products outside of China but also allows the brand to offer more affordable electric vehicle options to customers in Europe, ultimately contributing to Stellantis’s 2030 electrification targets.

By relying on Stellantis’s well-established dealership and distribution channels, Leapmotor’s European presence is expected to expand significantly, with plans to increase sales points to 500 across the continent by 2026.

In the UK, Leapmotor will launch two fully electric models in January with each model on display at selected dealerships. The C10, a mid-size SUV with a range of 261 miles will be marketed against popular EVs like the Tesla Model 3 and the VW ID.4, while the compact T03 city car, which offers a range of 165 miles, will compete with models like the Fiat 500.

UK pricing for Leapmotor initial models will align with competitive brands such as BYD, GWM Ora, and Omoda, with the C10 likely to start at around £35,000. While the C10 will be imported directly from China, the T03 will be assembled in Europe, supporting Stellantis’s strategic goals for a diversified European EV lineup.

Orders for Leapmotor vehicles have already opened and first deliveries are expected in January. A marketing campaign will roll out alongside the first deliveries, targeting a broad customer base that will be further clarified at the brand’s official UK launch in the New Year.

A Stellantis spokesman, explained to AM that the opportunity for Stellantis franchisees would “provide complementary, additional volume and profit opportunities using the existing, known channel business and logistics channels with Stellantis UK”.

Since its inception, Leapmotor now ranks as the fourth-largest new energy vehicle startup by sales in China, selling over 400,000 electric vehicles, a milestone its chief executive Zhu Jiangming said was a sign of Leapmotor’s readiness to enter the European market.