Leapmotor says its relationship with Stellantis has helped establish the Chinese brand in Australia, even though Stellantis has relatively limited visibility in that market. Stellantis owns a 20 per cent stake in Leapmotor and leads a 51/49 joint venture that distributes the brand outside China. Leapmotor Australia chief Andy Hoang said the partnership brought established customer-care, technician-training and workshop processes that the new entrant did not have to build from scratch.
Leapmotor entered Australia in 2024 with the C10 mid-size SUV, followed by the B10 small SUV last year. The B05 hatchback and B03X light SUV are due to join the range this year. Its vehicles are electric or extended-range electric models. By the end of September, the brand had delivered 1,168 vehicles in Australia, a 158.4 per cent increase on the same period a year earlier. That put it ahead of Stellantis marques including Peugeot, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, but behind Ram and Fiat.
The company currently has 25 Australian sales and service sites, about half of which also represent other Stellantis brands. It says a Melbourne parts warehouse opened 12–18 months ago and that it bought A$6 million of parts before its first cars arrived. Leapmotor aims to increase its Australian locations to 35–40, including its first site in the Northern Territory, but has not provided a schedule. The article also notes that Geely, another Chinese brand, has substantially higher Australian deliveries.