A new name is going to be added to the Indian electric car market soon , Leapmotor. After Citroen and Jeep, Stellantis is now going to launch its third brand in India, and this will be Chinese EV company Leapmotor.
Who is Leapmotor?
Leapmotor is a Chinese electric vehicle startup, headquartered in Hangzhou city of Zhejiang province. In the year 2023, Stellantis bought a 21% stake in this company and invested about 1.5 billion euros. After this, in 2024, Stellantis and Leapmotor started a joint venture – ‘Leapmotor International’, which will take charge of selling their EVs outside China.
Now under this partnership, Stellantis is preparing to bring Leapmotor cars to India. According to reports, its first car in India can be launched by the end of the year.
Which cars will come first?
Initially two models can be introduced in India – Leapmotor T03 and Leapmotor C10.
1. Leapmotor T03 – Compact Electric Car
Leapmotor T03 is a small electric hatchback, which will compete with cars like Tata Tiago.ev. However, initially it will be completely assembled from China, so its price may be slightly higher.
It can get:
- 37.3 kWh LFP battery
- 70 kW power motor (158 Nm torque)
- Range: 265 km (WLTP standard)
- 0-100 km/h speed: 12.7 seconds
- Top speed: 130 km/h
Talking about features, it can have:
- 15 inch alloy wheels
- Panoramic sunroof
- 8 inch digital instrument cluster
- 10-inch touchscreen
- Electronic parking brake
2. Leapmotor C10 – Mid-size electric SUV
The Leapmotor C10 is a stylish mid-size electric SUV. It also has an EREV version in the international market, but only the full electric model is expected to come to India.
Possible specifications:
- 69.9 kWh battery
- 160 kW motor (320 Nm torque)
- Range: 424 km (WLTP)
- 0-100 km/h: 7.5 seconds
- Top speed: 170 km/h
Features may include:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Flush door handles
- Power tailgate
- Ventilated and electric front seats
- 14.6-inch touchscreen
- V2L bi-directional charging
What is the plan for local production?
It is not clear at the moment when the production of these vehicles will start in India. But considering the tax, it is believed that initially the company will bring parts from China and assemble them here. Importing as a CBU can be expensive and Leapmotor is not known as a premium brand in India, so CKD assembly would be the best strategy.
Conclusion
Leapmotor’s entry could make the electric car market in India more exciting. However, pricing and localisation will be the key to the brand’s success. The association with a big company like Stellantis definitely increases the chances of trust.