Stellantis unveiled an electric sports utility vehicle in Malaysia on Wednesday, as part of its partnership with Chinese automaker Leapmotor as it enters Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s trade minister said.
Stellantis owns a 51% stake in the Leapmotor International joint venture and has exclusive rights to build, export and sell Leapmotor products outside of China, marking the first such deal for a legacy Western automaker.
In May, the joint venture announced global expansion plans for this year, aiming to sell its electric vehicles in several regions, including Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Sales in Malaysia will begin with Leapmotor’s C10 mid-size SUV, Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz said on Wednesday, according to the text of a speech he delivered during the launch ceremony and which was made available to the media.
The Malaysian government is working to establish its country as a regional hub in the global electric vehicle production and supply chain.
Malaysia, which aims for EVs and hybrid vehicles to account for 20% of new car sales by 2030, recorded a 112% jump in battery electric vehicle sales in the first half of the year , said Mr. Tengku Zafrul.
