Leapmotor to double European lineup by end of 2026 with three new EVs

Leapmotor to double European lineup by end of 2026 with three new EVs

Automotive News Europe — 2026-03-25

Automotive Industry

Leapmotor, now the No. 4-selling Chinese brand in Europe, hopes to build on a recent sales surge by doubling its lineup in the region by the end of 2026 with three new full-electric models, said Danilo Annese, head of commercial operations Europe for Leapmotor International.

Sales at Leapmotor, which is partly owned by Stellantis, were up 642 percent in January and February compared with the same period in 2025. It sold 12,854 cars year to date, behind only SAIC’s MG, BYD and Chery among Chinese automakers, according to figures from market researcher DataForce.

The three new Leapmotor models will join the current range, which includes the T03 electric minicar, the B10 compact SUV and the C10 midsize SUV, both of which are available as battery-electric vehicles and extended-range EVs, or EREVs.

Annese spoke at an event here in Rome to launch the EREV version of the B10. The B10 will have the same base price for both EREV and BEV versions, at €29,990 in Germany.

Annese expects European sales of the B10 will be evenly split between the two versions, with Italy and Spain having the highest demand for the EREV. In Italy and Spain, the B10 EREV’s launch prices are as low as €24,900 and €23,600, respectively.

The three upcoming models are:

• The B05 full-electric compact hatchback, first shown in Europe at the 2025 IAA Munich auto show, will be launched in Europe by the end of the second quarter. It is underpinned by the same platform as the B10 compact SUV, with the same batteries but longer range thanks to better aerodynamics.
• The B03X full-electic small SUV, first shown at the Brussels auto show in January, will debut in the third quarter. While the larger models are rear-wheel drive, the B03X will be front-wheel drive. The B03X will enter a growing and increasingly crowded segment, with sales up 151 percent to 16,984 this year, according to DataForce. Other key launches include the Kia EV2, Volkswagen ID Cross and Skoda Epiq.
• The B03 small hatchback will arrive between November 2026 and January 2027, Annese said. The model is called A05 in China. Recently leaked photos that appeared in Chinese and European media show a sloping front and clean lines. In China it features a single front-mounted motor with an output of either 70 of 90 kilowatts, and a lithium iron phosphate battery pack.

There is no decision yet on EREV versions of the B03X and B03, Annese said, as it is technically less straightforward because of the cars’ shorter front end and front-mounted electric motor. EREVs have a small gasoline engine that charges the battery.

The T03 was Leapmotor’s most popular model with 8,108 sales through February, boosted by 6,126 registrations in Italy on the back of a now-expired fiscal incentive program.

Annese said the bigger range and wider brand recognition will help Leapmotor chase similar figures for the rest of the year.

“Even in countries like Italy we see more of a natural demand for EVs,” he added. He said the T03 customers included city dwellers looking for a replacement for the now-discontinued Smart minicar in cities such as Rome, as well as from customers in southern Italy who can charge the car at home with solar panels.

Another potential boost for the T03 could come from a two-seat commercial version that will be finished at Fiat’s Mirafiori factory in Turin.

Asked whether Leapmotor’s wider range would cannibalize Stellantis products such as low-cost models from Citroen, Fiat and Opel based on the Smart Car platform, Annese said that Leapmotor’s mission is to tackle the arrival in Europe of the Chinese automakers.

He added that Leapmotor covers a price segment of the market that has been abandoned by all legacy automakers, not just Stellantis. He described Leapmotor as an “additional tool” for Stellantis and its dealers.

All Leapmotor models, including EREVs, are currently subject to a 20.7 percent EU additional tariff on China-built EVs. Leapmotor will be able to avoid some of that hit when it starts production of the B10 at a Stellantis plant in Spain in the second half of 2026.

Annese said more details on the specific plant and possible further models will be given at Stellantis’ capital markets day in the U.S. on May 21.