Etienne Psaila
When Stellantis and Leapmotor announced their joint venture in 2023, it marked a turning point in global automotive history. Stellantis, the multinational giant formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA, needed cost-effective electric vehicles to meet regulatory targets in Europe. Leapmotor, one of China’s rising EV challengers, needed international reach to survive in a crowded home market. Together, they built an unprecedented partnership that broke decades of precedent: for the first time, a Western automaker would distribute, sell, and even build a Chinese brand’s cars in Europe.Stellantis × Leapmotor: Europe’s Backdoor to China chronicles the negotiations, deal structures, political storms, and market rollouts that made this joint venture a case study in globalization reimagined. From the supply chain realignments that shifted European industry, to the consumer reception of the first Leapmotor EVs in European showrooms, this book traces how a 'backdoor' entry became a new front door for Chinese automotive innovation.As trade tensions mount, EV adoption accelerates, and the balance of global power shifts, the Stellantis-Leapmotor story offers a rare window into how business strategy, politics, and technology converge to reshape entire industries.
