During the last two years we have had the debut of several Chinese brands in Brazil, all betting on electrification. One of them was Leapmotor, which is part of a joint venture with Stellantis.
At Leapmotor dealerships there is a Stellantis banner and sellers use this as an argument of authority. We know that many of our readers know what this group is, but there are consumers who do not know the company and end up being confused.
The Goiana plant is the group’s most modern in Brazil (Photo: Stellantis | Disclosure)
Stellantis was born in January 2021 from the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A. Today it owns the brands Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram and Vauxhall. Leapmotor is represented by the group outside China.
In Brazil, Stellantis operates as Fiat, Citroën, Peugeot, Ram, Jeep and Leapmotor. For the consumer, this means that there may be a sharing of parts and platforms in some cars, which facilitates maintenance.
In the case of Leapmotor, there is no sharing of components for now. The benefit for the consumer is in the structure of the brand, which uses Stellantis’ parts distribution network and financial services. In the coming years, the brand’s cars will be assembled at the Goiana (PE) plant along with Fiat, Jeep and Ram models.
Fiat is taking advantage of the CMP modular architecture developed by Peugeot to modernize its cars (Photo: Stellantis | Disclosure)
Leapmotor cars sold in Brazil have undergone modifications made by the engineering of the local Stellantis subsidiary. The most notable is the firmer suspension setting that balances comfort with stability well, reminiscent of the one made in the Jeep Commander.
Brazilian engineering also performed durability validations, translation of the operating system and other details. This is one of the brand’s advantages over other newcomers, but the essence of a Chinese car with a minimalist interior is still present.
The creation of this group also brought changes to Peugeot and Citroën cars. Today they are sold in Brazil with Fiat engines. On the other hand, the Italian brand will launch new models with the CMP modular platform, which was created by PSA.
Stellantis’ global headquarters is in the Netherlands and today it has Neapolitan Antonio Filosa as CEO. He spent years at the helm of the group’s Brazilian branch and replaced Carlos Tavares, who was heavily criticized for some strategic decisions.
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