Updated July 7, 2026, 2:50 p.m. ET
Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor has joined with partner Stellantis NV to start selling an SUV in Mexico — the latest example of Chinese automakers aiming to quickly grow market share just over the U.S. border.
The Leapmotor B10 compact SUV formally launched in recent days with the carmaker promoting the vehicle around various FIFA World Cup events happening in the country. The “ultra hybrid SUV,” as Leapmotor describes it, is powered by a battery but includes an onboard gas generator offering more than 550 miles of range.
Leapmotor will lean on Stellantis’ existing presence in Mexico for sales and parts support, including its dealers and Mopar aftermarket parts distribution system. In 2024, Stellantis formed a 51%-49% joint venture with the Chinese company, called Leapmotor International. Stellantis holds a 21% stake in the Chinese automaker.
Leapmotor’s arrival in Mexico alongside Stellantis is the latest push by a Chinese automaker to grow sales in North America — even as U.S. regulators have, for now, kept the country’s EVs and hybrids out with high tariffs and other strict technology bans.
Leapmotor, based in the east China city of Hangzhou, already sells models alongside other Stellantis brands in Europe, where its vehicles have swiftly gained popularity, and it has begun selling some vehicles in South America too. The joint venture has also looked at selling Leapmotor vehicles in Canada, and has even explored making the vehicles at an idled Stellantis factory in Brampton, Ontario — an idea that garnered political and union pushback in the country.
“There is space in Mexico, there is maybe space in Canada” for Leapmotor sales, said Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa at a recent investor day gathering in Auburn Hills. “For sure, now, there is no space in the United States. We don’t see that.”
A flurry of Chinese automakers have begun selling in Mexico in the last handful of years, including MG Motor, BYD and Chery Automobile. They have quickly gobbled up market share, with current estimates around 15% to 20% of the new car market. And despite China’s reputation for making EVs, many of the Chinese cars imported to Mexico are hybrid or gas-powered, experts say, similar to the B10. Experts say the Chinese companies have their eye on eventually selling their vehicles in the U.S.
The Leapmotor-Stellantis partnership plans to eventually bring two more models to Mexico after successfully testing and certifying the B10 for use in the country. The C10 is a midsize SUV, and the C16 is a large SUV with a third row. Both will be range-extended hybrids like the B10. The Leapmotor website so far lists more than two dozen locations where the B10 can be purchased in Mexico.
The influx Chinese models should help boost Stellantis’ turnaround plans in North America. After a difficult couple of years, Stellantis sales rose year-over-year in the first half of 2026, with Mexico sales leading the way with a 19% gain, the automaker said last week.
