BANGKOK (AP) 鈥� Stellantis plans to invest about 1.5 billion euros, or about $1.6 billion, in Leapmotor, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, the companies said late Wednesday.
The European-based maker of Jeep and Ram and Leapmotor said in a joint statement that they have formed a strategic partnership and joint venture that aims to expand the Chinese EV maker鈥檚 sales both inside and outside of China.
Stellantis said it expects to benefit from Leapmotor鈥檚 鈥渢ech-first EV ecosystem鈥� in China to meet its own targets for shifting to electric vehicles.
The investment will give Stellantis an approximately 20% stake in Leapmotor. The companies said the 51% Stellantis-led joint venture will have exclusive rights to export and sell Leapmotor鈥檚 vehicles outside China.
Leapmotor has focused on the mid- to high-end of the EV market in China, selling 111,000 electric vehicles in 2022. So far it has introduced three EV models, the BEV T03, the SUV C11 and the C01 sedan.
Hangzhou, China-based Leapmotor's Hong Kong traded shares fell 9.2% on Thursday.
Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed from the merger of the Italian鈥揂merican conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam.
The Associated Press
