Leapmotor’s India Foray : Stellantis Accelerates Its Electric Drive with a New EV Contender

The electric vehicle market in India is steadily gaining momentum and now Stellantis is bringing China’s emerging EV company Leapmotor to India to capitalize on this opportunity. After Jeep and Citroën, this will now be the third brand in Stellantis’ portfolio, which is considered a big step towards electric vehicles in the country.

Leapmotor may be a new name, but its growth in the EV world has been very fast. In 2024 alone, the company has sold about 3 lakh units globally, which is double as compared to last year. Now with this speed, the company is entering the Indian market, where foreign brands like Tesla and Vinfast are already preparing for their entry.

Leapmotor’s target is not limited to India only. The company wants to be among the top 5 or 6 EV brands in the world in the next three years. Recently, during the Auto Shanghai Show 2025, the CEO said that the company is also working on a plan to start local production in Europe.

B10 SUV created a stir

Leapmotor’s most popular vehicle is the B10 SUV, which is available for just less than US $ 18,000 (about Rs 15 lakh). This car has high-end features like smart driving technology and advanced LiDAR system, which are usually seen in expensive vehicles. In just 13 days of the launch of B10, the company had delivered 8,000 units.

Stellantis’ big partnership

To strengthen Leapmotor at the global level, Stellantis took a 21% stake in the company in 2023 by investing $ 1.6 billion. After this, both the companies together started a joint venture called Leapmotor International, in which Stellantis has a higher stake. Through this partnership, Leapmotor is getting help to expand worldwide.

What will Leapmotor bring for India?

Leapmotor’s current lineup includes the T03, a small city car, the B10 electric crossover, and the C10 that can travel up to 950 km on a single charge. There is also a special model called the C10 REEV in which the petrol engine charges the battery and the car can travel up to 970 km in total.

With the growing interest in EVs in India, Leapmotor’s entry could further accelerate the electric race in the Indian market.