Leapmotor's T03 will be made at a Stellantis plant in Poland to compete with the Dacia Spring

Stellantis agreed to invest $1.61 billion in Chinese EV maker Leapmotor last year, in exchange for getting access to Leapmotor's EV platform and 20% of its shares. While unveiling the deal, Stellantis also unexpectedly announced that it had established a joint venture with Leapmotor that would start selling Leapmotor EVs in Europe and other global markets from 2024 onwards.

We are now in 2024 and the first model is due to be produced at a Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland, according to an exclusive report by Reuters today. The Leapmotor T03 is a small EV that will be the first one offered by the joint venture to European buyers.

Production will start "as early as" the second quarter, so sometime from April until June. The so-called semi-knocked down (SKD) technique will be used - meaning the plant will receive partially assembled kits from China and turn them into finished vehicles.

Earlier this year there were reports that Stellantis wanted to use its Mirafiori complex in Turin, Italy to make Leapmotor EVs, but it seems like either that wasn't true or the company changed its mind.

The Leapmotor T03 has a WLTP range of 174 miles and a 70 kW or 80 kW motor. It's obviously expected to be very cheap, since its size is very similar to that of the Dacia Spring.