Leapmotor: Stellantis partnership is an asset, not a burden, in Australia
Chinese electric car brand Leapmotor says its partnership with Stellantis has eased its rapid entry into the Australian market. The brand has outsold every Stellantis brand in that market except Ram and Fiat.
Fast-growing Chinese automakers often cast established Western brands as slow-moving "legacy manufacturers." Leapmotor, by contrast, is highlighting its ties to Stellantis as a source of strength rather than weakness. Andy Hoang, the brand's Australian chief, told CarExpert that the partnership played a critical role in its market entry.
Stellantis bought a 20 percent stake in Leapmotor, a company with roughly a decade of history, in 2023. The two companies then set up the Leapmotor International joint venture, in which Stellantis holds a controlling 51 percent stake. The structure allows Stellantis to distribute the Chinese brand in markets outside China.
Ready-made processes meant no need to start from scratch
According to Hoang, Stellantis has far lower brand recognition in Australia than in Europe. However, the group's global processes in areas such as customer relations, after-sales service, technician training and workshop equipment meant the brand did not have to build that infrastructure from scratch. About half of its 25 sales and service outlets in Australia also serve other Stellantis brands.
On the parts side, a large warehouse in Melbourne, built 12 to 18 months ago, is shared with Stellantis. Hoang said the company bought $6 million worth of parts before a single car had arrived. The brand aims to supply 90 percent of parts within 24 hours. Regional parts stock is held in Malaysia, while urgent needs are met by air freight from China.
Sales rising, but trailing Geely
Leapmotor entered Australia in 2024 with the C10 midsize SUV, expanding its lineup last year with the B10 small SUV and this year with the B05 hatchback and B03X SUV. All of the brand's models are either fully electric or range-extended electric vehicles.
With 1,168 deliveries through the end of September, Leapmotor grew 158.4 percent from the same period last year. That figure trails Ram (2,322) and Fiat (1,422) but is ahead of Peugeot (652), Jeep (442), Alfa Romeo (265) and Maserati (143). Sales of those Stellantis brands fell by between 33 percent and 70 percent. Leapmotor outsold Deepal, at 924 units, while Geely, which entered the market in early 2025, paints a much stronger picture with 23,632 units.
The brand plans to expand its Australian sales and service network to 35-40 locations, including its first outlet in the Northern Territory, but has not given a timeline.
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Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under their free licences.
This article was compiled with the help of AI from information published by CarExpert.
