Leapmotor is on course to deliver more than 100,000 vehicles in Europe this year, based on registration data from the first four months and the pace at which the Stellantis-backed Chinese brand is adding markets and models.
The company registered 30,521 vehicles across 13 European markets between January 1 and April 30, an average of about 7,630 a month — according to data compiled by Yiche, the Chinese auto research firm.
A flat run-rate would put the full-year European total near 91,500.
However, the figure is expected to exceed 100,000 units as several of the markets only recently opened, brand awareness is still building, the model lineup is widening, and automotive sales typically weight toward the second half of the year.
Italy Leads by a Wide Margin
Italy was Leapmotor‘s largest market anywhere outside China, with 16,135 registrations in the four months, more than half its European total. The country had not yet entered the market a year ago.
The momentum carried into April, when Leapmotor registered 4,424 vehicles in Italy, equal to 33.5% of the country’s EV market, according to the registration tracker EU-EVs.
The T03 city car drove almost all of that volume, with 4,090 registrations, ahead of the B10 at 316 and the C10 at 18.
The compact, affordable Leapmotor T03 — measuring precisely 11 ft 10.5 in long, 5 ft 5 in wide, and riding on a 7 ft 10.5 in wheelbase — is exceptionally well-suited to the narrow streets, tight parking, and restricted-traffic ZTL zones that define Italy’s cities.
The T03 lists in Italy at 18,900 euros ($22,000), discounted to 15,900 euros ($18,500) for private buyers on contracts signed before the end of May.
A Widening Lineup
The rest of Europe is growing quickly off a low base.
Germany registered 4,523 vehicles in the four months, up 358.3% from a year earlier, and the United Kingdom 3,676, up 1,121.3%. France reached 1,820, up 87.1%, and Spain 1,355, up 228.1%.
The Netherlands rose 321.8% to 852, Austria 433.0% to 565, and Switzerland 197.7% to 509. Portugal posted the steepest percentage gain of any market, up 3,290.0% to 339 from a small bale of just 10 units a year earlier.
Several smaller European markets recorded their first tracked sales, including Slovenia at 341, Ireland at 218, the Czech Republic at 121 and Sweden at 67, none with a year-earlier figure for comparison.
Leapmotor expanded its range in April with the European launch of the B05, which it calls its first sporty electric car.
The model made its public debut at the Poznan Motor Show in Poland, with orders opening on April 23 from a list price of 26,900 euros ($31,300).
In the main European markets, Leapmotor said it ranked second in battery-electric sales to private customers in March, with a 7.6% share, a rise of 20 positions from a year earlier.
Part of a Global Surge
The European numbers sit within a broader climb.
Leapmotor delivered a record 71,387 vehicles globally in April, including its China sales, up 73.9% from a year earlier and more than 40% from March, its highest monthly total yet.
Across all 18 markets tracked by Yiche, including Israel, Malaysia, Thailand, Chile and Uruguay, overseas registrations reached 31,974 in the four months, up 752.4% from 3,751 a year earlier.
Stellantis Doubles Down on Affordable EVs
Leapmotor‘s European expansion runs through Leapmotor International, the joint venture majority-owned by Stellantis, which handles sales and distribution outside China and gives the brand access to the larger group’s dealer network.
Stellantis is separately pressing its own push into low-cost electric cars.
The owner of Fiat, Opel and Citroen unveiled an “E-Car” project last week, a small, fully electric model whose production is set to begin in 2028 at its Pomigliano d’Arco plant near Naples.
The car is expected to carry a price of around 15,000 euros ($17,500), according to a source cited by Reuters, positioning it among the cheapest EVs planned by a major European automaker.
Stellantis said the E-Car would be developed with partners to cut costs and speed development, and would support local manufacturing jobs.
The company has not said which of its brands will sell the model, nor whether the program will draw on its Leapmotor joint venture. The Pomigliano plant currently builds the Fiat Panda.
