• Stellantis sees potential for Leapmotor production in Mexico and Canada.
  • The Brampton plant has sat idle since Dodge ended Charger production.
  • Reports suggest Canada could assemble partially built Leapmotor EV kits.

The Leapmotor expansion plan is moving faster than most analysts expected. Fresh off confirmation that the Chinese brand will build more of its models at the Stellantis plant in Spain, and with separate talks underway with China’s Dongfeng to assemble premium Voyah models at a Citroen facility in France, the head of Stellantis has now floated the idea of Leapmotor production reaching North America.

Speaking after an investor day at the company’s North American headquarters near Detroit last Thursday, Stellantis chief executive Antonio Filosa said the company “for sure” sees room to grow its partnership with Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co., including possible production in Mexico and eventually Canada. The United States, however, is off the table for the moment.

Filosa Eyes Mexico First, Canada Second

The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
Stellantis

“I believe that there is space in Mexico. … There is maybe space in Canada. We’ll see,” he said. “Now there is no space in the United States. We don’t see that.”

Filosa framed the Leapmotor arrangement as a three-way win for Stellantis: a route to more sales, a chance to study how a Chinese rival operates, and a way to share the capital burden of building EVs at scale.

Read: Stellantis’ Cheapest New EV Is Chinese, Made In Europe, And $15K Under Its Own Peugeot

The conglomerate’s plant in Brampton, Ontario, is perhaps the most obvious candidate for Leapmotor production, CNBC reports. It has been offline since production of the old Dodge Charger and Challenger wrapped up in December 2023, and the facility could be retrofitted to handle several Leapmotor models without too much heavy lifting.

Canada currently allows 49,000 Chinese-built electric vehicles into the country each year for retail sale at a reduced tariff rate of 6.1 percent, a quota that sets the ceiling on any local-build conversation.

Built In Canada, Or Just Assembled In Canada?

The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next

Rumors about this potential move surfaced in late April. At the time, it was reported that Leapmotor might manufacture its vehicles in China, partially disassemble them, and then export them to Canada. If it were to do so, the Brampton site would then be responsible for reassembling them. However, this idea hasn’t gone over well with Canada’s federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly, nor Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Also: Stellantis And JLR Want To Co-Develop And Build Cars In America

Stellantis currently holds a 21 percent stake in Leapmotor, making it the Chinese firm’s largest single shareholder. Through its 51 percent ownership stake in a joint venture with Leapmotor, it also has the exclusive rights to sell, distribute, and manufacture the brand’s models outside of China.

While Leapmotor doesn’t currently sell vehicles in Canada or the United States, the brand was launched in Mexico in April. Its local roll-out will include the C10, B10, and the smaller T03.

The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next
The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next