Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
The Associated Press

Jeep maker Stellantis plans to invest 1.5 billion euros in Chinese EV manufacturer Leapmotor

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Stellantis plans to invest about 1.5 billion euros, or about $1.6 billion, in Leapmotor, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, the companies said late Wednesday.

The European-based maker of Jeep and Ram and Leapmotor said in a joint statement that they have formed a strategic partnership and joint venture that aims to expand the Chinese EV maker’s sales both inside and outside of China.

Stellantis said it expects to benefit from Leapmotor’s “tech-first EV ecosystem” in China to meet its own targets for shifting to electric vehicles.

The investment will give Stellantis an approximately 20% stake in Leapmotor. The companies said the 51% Stellantis-led joint venture will have exclusive rights to export and sell Leapmotor’s vehicles outside China.

Leapmotor has focused on the mid- to high-end of the EV market in China, selling 111,000 electric vehicles in 2022. So far it has introduced three EV models, the BEV T03, the SUV C11 and the C01 sedan.

Hangzhou, China-based Leapmotor's Hong Kong traded shares fell 9.2% on Thursday.

Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed from the merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.