China’s Leapmotor has commenced EV production in Europe at a Stellantis plant
A previously announced joint venture between China’s Leapmotor and Stellantis has begun building EVs in Europe ahead of local deliveries targeted this fall. Leapmotor’s entry into local production and sales overseas begins with a small EV called the T03.
Today’s latest update on the production of Leapomotor BEVs in Europe comes just over a month after the Chinese automaker confirmed the new business venture with Stellantis. The new JV, named “Leapmotor International,” will expand to sell Chinese EVs in Europe this fall, with additional markets to follow.
Stellantis ($STLA) took a $1.6 billion stake in Chinese OEM Leapmotor last fall, and we have been following the progress of both companies getting into business together, especially as the threat of tariffs on Chinese imports in Europe looms following a recent decision by the EU commission.
With the joint venture officially established, Leapmotor and Stellantis are reportedly beginning to roll the initial BEV units of one model off assembly lines in Poland.
Leapmotor Europe
Analysts at Jefferies have cited Leapmotor’s management in confirming that T03 production is underway in Europe at Stellantis’ Tychy plant in Poland. Tychy currently houses Fiat and Chrysler production but is now assembling units of Leapmotor’s T03 compact BEV before it hits local markets later this year.
Reuters reported that Stellantis chose Tychy as the new home to Leapmotor production in Europe for cost-saving reasons. Leapmotor management told Jeffries that manufacturing costs at Tychy equate to about 400-500 euros ($429-$536) per BEV, similar to build prices in China (but without potential tariffs). Either way, it’s significantly more cost-effective than the estimated price of around 1,000 euros ($1,072) per unit to build the T03s at Stellantis’ plant in Italy.
The report also states that T03 will be followed by the production of Leapmotor’s A12 SUV, which is targeted to begin in Q1 2025. The Chinese automaker has also started to prepare localized component production to support BEV builds overseas.
Leapmotor also intends to sell its new C10 SUV in Europe, but it will build those EVs in China and export them. The previously mentioned tariffs may throw a financial wrench in those plans, but Leapmotor has a potential Plan B in Stellantis through the joint venture.
Mass production of the T03 in Poland remains on schedule to begin in September ahead of first deliveries.
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Environment
Tesla releases details about ‘Robotaxi’ launch: there’s a ‘safety monitor’ in front seat
Tesla has released the details about its planned ‘Robotaxi’ launch in Austin, Texas, this weekend, and it’s even worse than we thought. There’s going to be a “safety monitor” in the front seat.
Over the last few weeks, we have been discussing how Tesla’s planned launch of a “Robotaxi” service was a game of smoke and mirrors, meant to improve the optics of the automaker’s self-driving efforts as Waymo emerges as a clear leader.
The planned service is a geo-fenced and teleoperation-supported ride-hailing service operated by a small internal fleet, which is completely different from Tesla’s long-promised unsupervised self-driving in consumer vehicles through its “Full Self-Driving program.”
Furthermore, we have been reported on Tesla’s limited testing in Austin, which CEO Elon Musk claimed involved “no driver”, but test vehicles have all been spotted with Tesla employees in the front passenger seats with access to buttons to stop the car or have it pull over.
In comparison, Waymo tested its vehicles for 6 months with a safety driver in the car and 6 months without a safety driver in the car in Austin before launching its commercial service earlier this year.
Now, Tesla has sent invitations to some known pro-Tesla influencers, primarily on Musk’s X social media platform, to experience the launch of the Robotaxi service this weekend.
The invitations confirm extreme limitations in the service, with the most significant one being the presence of a “safety monitor” in the passenger seat.
Here are the other requirements listed:
- You must agree to Terms of Service, Rider Rules, Privacy Notice, and Service Animal Policy.
- You must have a credit/debit card on file.
- You can request a ride via the app from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM, within the geofenced area (excluding airports).
- Operational hours and geofence details are available in the app and may change.
- Service may be limited or unavailable in inclement weather.
- Only the invited user may download and use the Robotaxi app.
- Participants must be courteous and respectful; unsafe or disrespectful behavior may lead to termination.
- Riders should provide a star rating and feedback in the app.
- Photos and videos of the experience are permitted.
- Smoking, vaping, consuming alcohol, and using drugs are not permitted inside the Robotaxi.
- Robotaxi may not be used in connection with any crime or to transport weapons or illegal/hazardous materials (e.g., flammable or combustible liquids).
- Surveillance, reverse engineering, or recording of proprietary Robotaxi components or features is strictly prohibited.
- Tesla may suspend or terminate access if:
- You violate any of these rules.
- You post or share content on social media that depicts misuse or violations inside the Robotaxi.
In short, Tesla’s “Robotaxi” service is going to launch with the supervision of Tesla employees in the front seat at all times. It’s limited to 6 am to 12 am and it doesn’t work in “inclement weather.
Electrek’s Take
Again, like I repeatedly said, this is all about optics. Tesla is just trying to get a win and say that it “launched its robotaxi on time in June” when this is basically Tesla’s public FSD with the supervising driver being moved to the passenger seat.
At least it’s going to be safer than if Tesla went without it, but it clearly shows that Tesla is falling far behind Waymo and the competition when it comes to self-driving.
The main thing that people like about Waymo and there are even willing to pay more than Uber is the fact that there’s no one else in the car.
This simply won’t scale. Tesla has yet to solve self-driving. It needs to focus on that instead of appearences.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the Tesla Robotaxi launch this weekend, the new Nissan Leaf, Ford’s upcoming low-cost EVs, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
Today, the episode is live at 8 a.m instead due to Fred’s travels in China.
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