Leapmotor has been a force no one saw coming: in just seven years it has managed to build one million cars; a feat that Tesla took 12 years to achieve (and BYD 13). It was founded in 2017 and in 2023, Stellantis acquired 21% of Leapmotor for 1.5 billion euros, with the aim of bringing production to Spain, cutting costs, and avoiding tariff barriers.
And it has delivered: it will manufacture at the Villaverde plant in Madrid the new B03X and the A05. Good news for the region and not so much for Zaragoza, which was the favorite.
Villaverde va a tener trabajo el año que viene
According to La Tribuna de Automoción, the first model will be the B03X, a 100% electric compact SUV that will arrive in Villaverde in September 2027 but can already be ordered at dealerships. And it comes to give trouble to the BYD Atto2 and the Kia EV2, also with a price-down: from €17,500 with subsidies and financing (including the €3,375 from the Auto Plan+ and €900 from the sale of CAEs). The model offers up to 383 km of range and two versions, Pro and ProMax.
The second model to be manufactured in Villaverde is the A05, an electric compact of dimensions similar to the B03X, which will land in Madrid in the first quarter of 2028. It comes to compete, also at a very tight price, with the MG4 or the Volkswagen ID.3.
These models, which were initially going to be produced in Zaragoza, will be destined for European, Middle Eastern and African markets. In return, the Zaragoza plant will host an Opel model based on the Leapmotor B10.
Una estrategia para sobrevivir en Europa
Currently, at the Stellantis plant in Villaverde (Madrid) the Citroën C4 and its electric variant, the Citroën ë-C4, are manufactured exclusively for the global market, but unfortunately the C4 will cease production in Madrid and move to Morocco. With these two Chinese models, Stellantis complies with Brussels, which requires that Chinese cars manufactured in Europe have at least 70% of components of European origin for electric vehicles, and 25% for both aluminum and cement.
Thus, local production is an almost mandatory commercial strategy for Chinese brands if they want to compete in Europe: if a manufacturer wants to benefit from purchase incentives or subsidies, it must assemble its electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the EU and with European-made parts.
Encuentra tu coche eléctrico ideal
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Images | Leapmotor, Peugeot
