10:22 am, February 13, 2025
Chinese electric brand Leapmotor has laid out plans to have 80 dealerships by the end of 2025 and to offer the ‘best value’ electric cars in the UK.
Officially launching this week, Leapmotor already has 44 dealers on its books, and is aiming to have 60 by the summer, rising to 80 by end of the year.
Big players to have already signed up include Arnold Clark and Evans Halshaw, along with smaller multi-franchise dealer groups such as Arbury and Snows.
All dealers will already have franchises with Stellantis, with Leapmotor being positioned alongside other Stellantis brands in showrooms.
Stellantis took 21% share of the Chinese firm in October 2023, and at the same time created Leapmotor International – a 51:49 joint venture led by Stellantis, which includes exclusive rights for exports, sales and manufacturers of Leapmotor cars outside of China.
Stellantis UK is positioning Leapmotor as its ninth brand, while its flagship Stellantis & You showroom in Chiswick, West London, is giving the newcomer equal placing alongside its other storied European marques.
Leapmotor will have dedicated areas in Stellantis showrooms
It’s this Stellantis backing which will give Leapmotor an advantage compared to other new Chinese entrants in the UK, and ultimately give customers ‘peace of mind’, brand director Damien Dally told Car Dealer.
‘We know more people are more open to different things that they were before, but they still have doubts,’ said Dally.
‘Many people [who will be considering Leapmotor] will be making the jump into electric, and that’s a bit of a niggling doubt anyway. The Stellantis backing is our USP.’
Dally explained that Leapmotor will be leveraging Stellantis’s ‘near 130-year heritage’ not just in marketing and positioning, but also when it comes to global aftersales and parts supply.
Leapmotor has launched two models so far in the UK – the £15,995 T03 A-segment city car, and a D-segment SUV called the C10 which is priced at £36,500.
Both cars come in just one specification, with colour being the only optional extra. A four-year warranty is thrown in, too.
Standard equipment of the T03 includes a glass panoramic roof with electric roller-blind, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with sat nav, 15-inch alloys and automatic climate control.
The T03 and C10 will bookend a full range of cars; a C-segment SUV called the B10 is due later this year, while B- and C-segment hatches will arrive in 2026. One year later, a B-segment SUV will be launched.
‘We are aiming to be the best value EV brand in the UK,’ said Dally. ‘We have the highest level of tech and the highest level of specification available.
‘We are not here to create the cheapest brand, but the best value brand in the UK.’
