On the one hand we have the CEO of Stellantis who clearly says that “the Chinese will arrive anyway, we might as well exploit them”, talking about the marketing of the Leapmotor partner’s vehicles in Europe, since September. On the other we have the minister Adolfo Urso who, although he himself is in negotiations with oriental producers, did not take the announcement well at all Carlos Tavares: “This shows that in Italy there is a need for a second producer – he said yesterday -. Our country is open to those who invest in production, not in assembly”.
Urso’s reference is to the practice of Chinese manufacturers of sending pre-assembly kits to Europe, and then having the cars assembled in associated factories. DR Automobile has been doing it for years, which then rebrands the cars and sells them as Made in Italy. Stellantis and Leapmotor International have not yet decided on this point: Tavares said that the costs of the factories will be evaluated. So, Mirafiori seems to start at a disadvantage compared to Tychy in Poland. But how are these new cars that will arrive from China made? Let’s go and discover them.
The T03, considered the “Chinese 500”, is now well known. It’s about a small BEV, i.e. it is exclusively electric. Five-door bodywork, it is three meters and 62 centimeters long, 1 meter and 60 centimeters high and 1 meter and 65 wide, with a wheelbase of 2 meters and 40. It falls into segment A (therefore it competes with the Fiat 500e itself, but also with the Panda, or rather Pandina), but the internal space it is comparable to a B-segment model.
The electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery 41.3 kWh (56 horsepower. The Smart has 60 kW for approximately 80 horsepower, the 500e 86 for 118 horsepower), inserted into the platform floor: this is the proprietary Leapmotor technology, a solution that guarantees low production costs. What Stellantis wants to renew the Fiat 500e, for which it has announced an investment of 100 million euros. The range is 265 kilometres while the provision of Adas systems provides, among others, adaptive cruise control and lane maintenance. Therefore, it is already ready for approval in Europe. The indicative price, especially if it were produced (assembled) here, therefore avoiding the incoming duties, is just under 20 thousand euros.
The big news, however, is thereto Leapmotor C10, conceived as the brand’s first global product, built to global design and safety standards. The C10 is based on the LEAP3.0 technology architecture developed by Leapmotor, which uses industry-leading intelligent electrical technology, as well as central integrated electronic and electrical architecture, Cellto-Chassis (CTC) cell-to-frame technology and the its intelligent cockpit.
Halfway between an SUV and a Crossover, the C10 belongs to the D segment fully equipped and designed for the family, with a premium driving experience best in the segment. Its 170 kW electric motor or 231 horsepower (for comparison, the Jeep Avenger which is a BSuv has a power of 56 kW, the Tesla Model Y starts at 188) guarantees a range of 420 kilometers. It won the International CMF Design Award in 2023 for its design and the 2024 Gold Award at the French Design Awards (FDA).
Its price has not yet been defined, but it could be well below the European price lists, like other similar Chinese-made cars. A first estimate places it between 25 thousand and 30 thousand euros. There is also a suggestion among car enthusiasts: if Stellantis decided to use the Fiat brand on some markets, the C10 could also be renamed (to avoid confusion of acronyms with Citroen models) Croma. In any case, if it were assembled in Italy, it would not be in Mirafiori: due to its size, it could go to factories that already use the Stla Medium platform, such as Melfi.
 – Turin News){kind=link}