Leapmotor, a Chinese manufacturer backed by Stellantis, is working on a new SUV.
Most people may have never heard of this brand but, for a very good reason, this new SUV could cause a few headaches globally.
Partly because it’s certainly offering good value for money.
But there’s also another reason.
This Chinese manufacturer has a lot of aces up its sleeve
On the face of it, Leapmotor is just another new Chinese manufacturer in the industry, like Xiaomi or BYD.
Just like most EV brands from China, it offers electric vehicles with good range, 265 miles in this case, and also hybrid variants for people who aren’t that sure about going fully electric yet.
It’s well-equipped, too.
You get a 14.6-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital cluster, some pretty cool tech that makes it – to an extent – autonomous, and you even get a panoramic glass roof.
And it’s also relatively inexpensive, with prices starting at around $41,000.
But it’s the fact that’s backed by Stellantis that’s making all the difference.
Why Leaptmotor’s partnership with Stellantis is important
Some people say the US doesn’t want Chinese cars because they’d be too good and would upset the apple cart for domestic automakers.
Others say it’s mostly due to geopolitical reasons.
But either way, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s basically impossible to buy a Chinese car in the United States unless you import it.
But this may not be the case for Leapmotor because it’s backed by Stellantis.
Stellantis is incorporated in the Netherlands for regulatory reasons, but it has a significant US presence with two major plants and four brands: Jeep, RAM, Chrysler, and Dodge.
It’s also listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In other words, if Stellantis decided to advocate for the sale of Leapmotor’s vehicles in North America, it would certainly have some arguments to make its case.
We’re looking forward to seeing what comes next…
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