All posts tagged: leapmotor

Stellantis wants to build Chinese Leapmotor EVs at its idled Canadian plant

Stellantis wants to build Chinese Leapmotor EVs at its idled Canadian plant

Published by skeptic

Leapmotor booth at Munich IAA 2025 (Source: Stellantis) Stellantis is in early talks to assemble electric vehicles from its Chinese partner Leapmotor at the idled Brampton, Ontario plant, according to Bloomberg — a factory that was supposed to be retooled for Jeep production with over $500 million in Canadian government subsidies. The proposal has already drawn fierce opposition from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Unifor union, which represents about 3,000 laid-off workers at the plant. From Jeep to Leapmotor: how we got here The Brampton assembly plant has sat idle for over two years. Stellantis originally committed to retooling the facility for electric Jeep Compass production as part of a $3.6 billion investment in Ontario backed by more than $529 million in federal subsidies through Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund. The deal required Stellantis to maintain an average of 4,475 full-time employees in Canada and keep production running at the plant through December 2035. That commitment fell apart in October 2025, when Stellantis announced it was moving Jeep Compass production to its Illinois plant instead …

,000 Leapmotor A10 is the new-age Neon Stellantis needs

$10,000 Leapmotor A10 is the new-age Neon Stellantis needs

Published by skeptic

Stellantis’ US operations are in desperate need of new, modern, affordable products that aren’t tainted by the toxic meatheads shredding tires with their Hemi V8s. A new-age Neon, tucked in at just under $20,000 with zippy performance and a simple, unpretentious interior could be just what dealers need to bring in new buyers. I’ve argued the need for a new-age Neon before, but I no longer think that the Lancia Ypsilon I had originally proposed for the basis of its rebirth is the one. Slotting into that top spot now is the new A10 EV from Stellantis’ Chinese partner, Leapmotor. First shown at the Guangzhou Auto Show last year and officially launched this week in China with a starting price of 965,800 yuan (~$9,500) is the right price, has the right tech, and with its chunky, crossover body style, is even the right shape to appeal to the same type of young car buyer the original Neon did thirty-odd years ago. Leapmotor even packs the original Neon’s happy, smiling face – although that little Easter egg …

The electric minivan Dodge needs already exists – just not here

The electric minivan Dodge needs already exists – just not here

Published by skeptic

Last week, I argued that Dodge was wasting its time building muscle cars and hiring “badassadors,” and that what the brand needed to change its fortunes was a new electric minivan. That van already exists. Meet the Leapmotor D99. The new D99 electric people-mover from the Stellantis-backed Leapmotor brand made its debut last week at Leapmotor’s 10th anniversary bash as a BEV packing a 115 kWh battery and 720 km (~450 miles) of range on the WLTP cycle. That battery might be newsworthy, on its own, too. One of the latest new offerings from Chinese battery experts CATL, the new Leapmotor van’s battery pack is built on a 1000-volt high-voltage electrical system that promises both ultra-fast charging and reduced losses for better overall energy efficiency. Driving the new D99 should be nice enough, but when you need it (or just can’t be bothered), an advanced ADAS powered by a pair of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8797 delivering some 1280 TOPS of computational power and supporting VLA (Visual-Language-Action) large language models can step in to keep you and …