Stellantis is considering building electric vehicles based on technology from Leapmotor, and these EVs could make their way to the US. The multinational automotive brand owns a 20% stake in the Chinese carmaker.
CEO Carlos Tavares said Stellantis may build these vehicles in Europe, North America, or any other region requiring affordable electric cars to take on value-driven Chinese brands. The chief executive made these comments following a report that said it may build Leapmotor EVs in Italy.
“At one point in time, Western governments may be tempted to block Chinese exports,” said Tavares. “We have the opportunity to assemble Leapmotor cars inside the bubble. It could be Europe, it could be North America. There’s no reason to exclude any country [with] a Stellantis plant.”
Chinese automakers have long been viewed as a threat to Western automakers, but Tavares believes high EV costs will force automakers to work together.
Stellantis’ compact Fiat 500e, for example, has a starting price of $32,500, which isn’t cheap for a compact car.