Leapmotor International, the new EV joint venture between Stellantis and China’s Leapmotor, has made its European debut with the unveiling of its C10 family SUV and T03 city car.

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The partnership brings together the global car giant and the Chinese OEM specialised in EVs in a 51:49 joint venture led by Stellantis.

The firms says Leapmotor International’s range complements the current technology and portfolio of Stellantis’ 14 brands and provides customers with more economically accessible mobility solutions. Drawing on Stellantis’ distribution channels, Leapmotor International plans to have 350 sales outlets by the end of 2024, including 50 in the UK.

The C10 SUV and T03 city car arrive first and will be followed by the B10 compact SUV that will sit under the C10 and will be revealed at the Paris Motor Show. Leapmotor International plans to launch one new vehicle a year over the next three years.

The line-up starts with the T03 city car, priced at £15,995. Pitched as the UK’s best value electric car on sale, it provides a direct rival to the Dacia Spring, which starts at £14,995.

It’s aimed at “younger, style orientated drivers” and will deliver up 165 miles (265km) of range WLTP combined along with a spacious interior.

The five-door, four-seater vehicle is designed for urban mobility and equipped with an electric powertrain entirely developed by Leapmotor. This teams up a 95hp motor with a 37.3kWh battery, delivering three driving modes.

It comes with an onboard 6.6kW charger, enabling it to be charged at home from 30% to 80% in around 3.5 hours. Its maximum DC charging power of 48kW delivers the same state of charge in 36 minutes.

Equipment includes 15-inch alloy wheels, satellite navigation, adaptive cruise control, panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, 10.1-inch touchscreen, 8.0-inch instrument cluster and electric windows all round.

Orders for the T03 start from late November with first deliveries before the end of the year.

The C10 family SUV is described at the perfect choice for customers who want to “take the leap” to battery electric vehicles (BEV) and need a true family vehicle.

A cheaper rival to the Tesla Model Y, it will be priced at £36,500 and available in one level of specification that’s said to deliver premium levels of comfort and specification.

Based on the Leap 3.0 architecture developed by Leapmotor, it’s equipped with a 218hp motor and a 69.9kWh battery pack with an official 261 miles (420km) of WLTP combined range.

The battery pack can be fast-charged at a rate of up to 84kW, giving a 30-80% charge in 30 minutes, while the 6.6kW AC charger delivers the same result in just over six hours.

Equipment includes multifunction steering wheel controls, a 10.25-inch instrument panel and a 14.6-inch central display.

The interior delivers 435 litres of boot capacity in normal conditions, rising to 1,410 litres with the seats down.

As with the T03, orders open from late November with first deliveries before the end of the year.

In the next three years, Leapmotor International’s product plan will cover the entire range of segments, from city cars to executive models, drawing on its scalable platforms and delivering fully electric engines and range extenders.

Leapmotor International will open sales in 13 European markets by the end of 2024 and will also expand into the Middle East & Africa (Turkey, Israel and overseas French territories), Asia Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia), as well as South America (Brazil and Chile) from Q4 2024.