Tavares also hinted that the possibility of manufacturing EVs in India.

Chinese EV maker Leapmotor International will enter the Indian market in Q4 of 2024. This was recently confirmed by Stellantis’ global CEO Carlos Tavares.

“We are now going to go live. We are now in the planning phase to go to the markets and start exporting vehicles out of China to the rest of the world,” Tavares said. “And as we said this morning, planning is 10 percent, and execution is 90 percent. So, we are entering the execution part of our deal,” he added.

Leapmotor International is a joint venture between Stellantis and the China-based Leapmotor. Besides India, the company plans to expand to 9 European countries, including Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Portugal, starting September 2024.

In the fourth quarter of this year, Leapmotor International will enter markets in South America, the Middle East, Africa, India and the Asia Pacific region.

Leapmotor International will focus on volume-centric segments and will have 6 models in its portfolio by 2027. Tavares also hinted that the possibility of manufacturing EVs in India.

“So, we are keen on creating that opportunity for Leapmotor International if that makes economic sense. So, there is no limitation, of course, for Leapmotor International to use our manufacturing footprint inside of India if that was to be the best business case,” Tavares said.

The T03 is powered by a 70 kW electric motor and offers a range of up to 280 km (WLTP cycle).

Chinese EV maker, Leapmotor, is set to enter the Indian market. According to media reports, the company will be announcing its investment plans in the coming weeks.

Leapmotor plans to bring its EVs to India in partnership with the Stellantis group. Reports suggest that the two companies are likely to announce their India plans in the next few weeks. If the proposal is approved by the government, it would pave the way for Leapmotor’s budget electric cars to be launched in India.

Leapmotor currently has three EVs on offer. These include the C01 4-door sedan, C11 SUV and the T03 electric hatchback, which seem to be the most likely candidates for India, given the fact the report mentions budget EVs.

The T03 is powered by a 70 kW electric motor and offers a range of up to 280 km (WLTP cycle). It has 3 driving modes and 3 steering modes, among a host of other features.

Stellantis announced its partnership with Leapmotor in October last year. The company plans to acquire approximately 20% with an investment of US$ 1.6 billion.

Source: TOI

Tavares also mentioned how he doesn't think hydrogen is a viable alternate tech for mass mobility.

According to media reports, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, stated that the automotive industry will have to look at reducing the weight of EV batteries by 50% in the next 10 years time.

He mentioned how, with today's technology, making an EV with a "decent range" of around 400 km required 500 kg of additional raw materials compared to a traditional car. "From an environmental standpoint... I don't think it makes sense," he said.

He stressed how the automotive industry needed to achieve a "breakthrough" in terms of the power density of EV battery cells. Tavares said, "I think that's on the way. I think over the next decade we'll be able to reduce the battery pack weight by 50%, hence reducing by 50% the use of additional raw materials against a conventional vehicle."

In addition to this, Tavares also mentioned how he doesn't think hydrogen is a viable alternate tech for mass mobility. "I'm afraid that for the time being affordability is going to be a major showstopper for hydrogen. For the near future, it's (possibly) going to be a solution for fleets of big corporations, but certainly not for normal citizens," he said.

Source: Reuters

Leapmotor EVs could compete with models like the Tiago.ev, Nexon.ev and Maruti eVX in the Indian market.

According to a media report, Stellantis is evaluating the possibility of introducing Chinese EV brand Leapmotor in India.

Stellantis, which has a 20% stake in Leapmotor, is leading the brand’s internationalization strategy. As part of this, the company is said to have launched a feasibility study to look into the possibility of CKD assembly.

Leapmotor EVs could be assembled at the Ranjangaon plant near Pune and may be sold via the company’s existing dealer network. Depending on the commercial feasibility of the project, Stellantis may even localize Leapmotor EVs. India might also emerge as a potential manufacturing base in the future.

Reports suggest that Leapmotor could offer a wide range of products, including small electric hatchbacks to SUVs in the sub-Rs 10 lakh to Rs 40 lakh price points. It is said that Leapmotor EVs could compete with models like the Tiago.ev, Nexon.ev and Maruti eVX in the Indian market.

Source: Autocar India

The Stellantis-patented 2-speed transmission for EVs will have an 'on-road' gear and an 'off-road' gear.

According to reports, Stellantis has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a 2-speed transmission system for electric off-roaders.

While 2-speed transmissions are already in use on certain EVs like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT, it's not a necessity or a requirement. The 2-speed transmissions on the Porsche and Audi are used for off-the-line acceleration and top-speed performance. The 2-speed gearbox patented by Stellantis though will be different, allowing EVs to offer the same level of off-road prowess as its ICE counterparts.

The Stellantis-patented 2-speed transmission for EVs will have an 'on-road' gear and an 'off-road' gear. This transmission system will alter the power and delivery, depending on the gear. While in off-road gear, the EV will be able to deliver immense low-end torque, helpful in getting out of sticky situations. The transmission is said to consist of two planetary gearsets positioned in between the electric motor and axles. Reports suggest this will also give Stellantis EVs the capability to perform tank-turns, similar to the Hummer EV and Mercedes-EQG.

The Stellantis patent filing, stated, "Vehicle off-road driving typically requires low-speed and high-torque operation over a sustained period of time. In vehicles with internal combustion engines, this is commonly achieved through additional gearing in the transfer case. However, battery electric vehicles typically have single-speed gearboxes, which while providing good torque capability, are unable to provide sustained high torque."

However, as with any patent filings, it remains to be seen whether the company actually brings the tech into production.

Source: TheDrive

The new EV platform can accommodate dual-motors, all-wheel-drive powertrain, which will be able to achieve a 0-100 km/h time of just 2 seconds.

In a recent interview, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, stated how the quick overtaking ability of EVs, mainly due to their blistering acceleration, is a safety feature.

Defending his statement, Tavares mentioned a situation where this would be useful. He stated, "I am living on a farm in the deep countryside of Portugal, and I often drive on the small roads around here. The acceleration power is first a matter of safety. It is first a matter of overtaking in safe conditions, making sure that you can change lanes, you can overtake a truck on a two-lane road. So, it is not necessarily about speed. It's about acceleration power to overtake in safe conditions, and we are very happy that the electric vehicles carry that kind of capability."

Coming back to EVs and their acceleration, Tavares stated, "And there is nothing more difficult than starting to overtake a truck and then having to jump on the brakes because you just discovered that the acceleration of the car you’re driving is not good enough to overtake in safe conditions. So, you jump back on the brakes, and you go back behind the truck. The acceleration capability for us is first a safety measure. The more acceleration you have, the safer the conditions under which you overtake can be, and from that perspective, the BEV technology is great as we all know.”

The statement comes following the unveiling of Stellantis' all-new STLA Large platform. The new EV platform can accommodate dual-motors, all-wheel-drive powertrain, which will be able to achieve a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of just 2 seconds.

Source: TopGear

It is in addition to the Rs 1,250 crore investment already executed within the state.

Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen, has announced that it plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore under the French brand in Tamil Nadu. This investment will be made over a period of 6 years.

According to Stellantis India, the funds will be used to bolster Citroen’s ICE and EV car manufacturing operations. The investment encompasses both capital expenditure and R&D activities at the Chennai Tech Centre. It is in addition to the Rs 1,250 crore investment already executed within the state.

Citroen currently offers four products in India. These include the C3, C3 Aircross and the C5 Aircross. The carmaker also offers the e-C3 all-electric hatchback in the country.

Citroen is now gearing up to introduce the C3 Aircross Automatic. Another model based on the same platform currently in the works is the C3X – a four-door crossover coupe. 

Aditya Jairaj has over 17 years of experience in the automotive sector.

Stellantis India is set to get a new Managing Director & CEO from January 1, 2024. Aditya Jairaj will succeed Roland Bouchara, who has led the company for the past six and a half years.

Aditya Jairaj has over 17 years of experience in the automotive sector. He is currently the Deputy Managing Director at Stellantis India and Head – Jeep India.

Bouchara, who will assume a new responsibility in Europe, was appointed as the CEO and MD in 2021. He played a critical role in the launch of the Citroen brand in India and has steered the company in his capacity as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

One enthusiast says that he will be glad if both brands succeed, whereas another one thinks that Stellantis should instead use its resources to make Jeep & Citroen stronger.

BHPian RedMaw recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Stellantis weighs Fiat relaunch in India

Stellantis, the world’s third largest carmaker by volume, is considering re-introducing Fiat and a clutch of other marquee brands including the Alfa Romeo into the Indian market even as its immediate priority is to firmly establish Jeep and Citroen brands.

Economic Times Report Link

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Stellantis already has two brands in India - the iconic Jeep marque (with some great but old cars) and the newbie Citroen (with some great cars).

Both these brands are struggling & have their own challenges.

Fiat already has a terrible reputation & was taken to the funeral, after 5 long stays in the ICU (once with a big surgeon called Tata). Alfa Romeo is a sexy brand, but investing in another brand isn't wise when you are already struggling with two.

It takes a lot of work to build brands, cars, plan pricing, variants, marketing strategies etc. Renault-Nissan were similarly struggling & brought in Datsun. Management had no bandwidth, the strategies were clean-bowled and the brand was RIP.

IMHO, Stellantis should instead use its resources to make Jeep & Citroen stronger. The luxury car market is anyway tiny in India for anyone other than the 3 - 4 big luxury brands, so why bother?

Jeep Compass Petrol not on sale in a market that's moved to petrols. Diesel AT was delayed, when the market was hot for Diesel ATs. Citroen got its variants & pricing totally wrong and has 3 straight flops (C5, C3, C3 Electric). Please explain to me who has the time for launching yet another brand at Stellantis India.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say about the matter:

I'll be glad if they succeed. Indeed Fiat is a lovely brand. As is Alfa Romeo. What a great thing it will be if Alfa comes to India. But I do hope they don’t dilute themselves in terms of quality and essential features.

Problem is will they have anything at all for the mass market which ultimately drives everyone’s bread and butter?

Here's what BHPian ron178 had to say about the matter:

They have some very nice affordable cars like the Cronos and Pulse, but those are native Fiat platforms. I suspect they would want to launch new Fiat products for India and Brazil/Argentina based on the CMP platform and those will inevitably be stripped down - speaking of which - shouldn't they focus on fixing Citroën and Jeep before dipping their toes elsewhere?

Here's what BHPian androdev had to say about the matter:

When Toyota and Maruti Suzuki can operate with such close cooperation and synergy, why can't the brands owned by Stallantis operate as one group? It's pretty stupid not to combine Jeep, Citroën, FIAT, etc. under one roof so that they can have a much better network and diverse portfolio of cars - will give the buyers so much more choice and confidence.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say about the matter:

I am not sure Alfa Romeo and India are a likely successful partnership. Alfa Romeo tried several times to break into the US market and always failed miserably for a variety of reasons.

I don’t understand the Fiat/Alfa Romeo strategy at all. They have hardly any cars, nothing really new in the pipeline and are struggling in their home markets in Europe.

To think you can capture market share in India with a tiny line up of cars made in Europe is simply utterly naive. Many Western companies have found out that although the Indian market, whatever you want to sell, is potentially huge, making actual money in India is not for the faint of heart!

Alfa Romeo's after-sales service in Europe is almost non-existent. Dealers have no parts in stock even for brand new cars. That is, if you can find a dealer in the first place.

Remarkably, Alfa Romeo has a very loyal fanbase. Truth be told, most of them drive second-hand Alfa’s. In Europe, there is a thriving second-hand market for Alfas including many excellent workshops that specialise in Alfas. They also have access to a by and large pretty good aftermarket spare parts circuit.

As long as you don’t need to rely on the official AR dealer you are good. Although the newer AR are pretty reliable, I have my doubt about how they would hold out in a market such as India. They are pretty cars. And as with most pretty things in life, it likely means they are finicky and high maintenance!

Yes, both Fiat and Alfa Romeo do make nice cars. Not many, but at least they do stand out from the crowd!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

These aftermarket auto parts from Bproauto will come with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

Stellantis, the automotive conglomerate, has launched a new auto parts brand to sit below its Mopar brand. The new auto parts brand is called Bproauto. It will offer affordable car parts at prices less than OEM costs.

Bproauto is said to offer a wide variety of car parts, not only across brands under the Stellantis family, but also most other domestic and imports. Some of the parts currently available in Bproauto's portfolio include batteries, brake pads & rotors, oils & filters, and hub bearings. Parts like shocks, starters & alternators, brake calipers, fuel injectors and many others are expected to become available sometime later this year.

These aftermarket auto parts from Bproauto will come with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

Mike Koval, Head of Mopar North America, stated, “While Mopar will remain the global original-equipment parts and authentic accessories brand for Stellantis, Bproauto will offer an alternative for nearly all brands and all cars – new, used, owned, rented or shared.” Koval further added, “With Mopar and Bproauto, our dealerships offer a 360-degree, multi-brand, one-stop-shop solution for nearly all customers, all vehicles and all brands.”

Source: CarScoops