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Can an unknown, all-new car brand help rescue the sales fortunes of one of the world’s biggest car makers in Australia?
Jeep can trace its roots all the way back to the iconic vehicles used by the US Army in World War Two. Leapmotors, in stark contrast, only began in 2015 but it is already expanding around the world, including Australia.
Stellantis, for those who aren’t car industry nerds, is the automotive giant that controls more than a dozen brands including Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Chrysler, Ram and Maserati around the globe. Stellantis Australia is limited to just Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Fiat, with the others handled by different distributors.
A look at the sales performance of those brands does not make for pretty reading for Stellantis Australia management, across all of its brands it has managed just 3970 sales in the first nine months of 2024. That’s less than newer names including GWM (31,793), BYD (15,181) and Chery (7508) - which are all from China.
Which is where Leapmotor is from and why it could hold the key to boosting Stellantis’ sales in Australia from its current state. Leapmotor is an all-electric brand with a clear focus on value.
Its first locally offering, the C10 SUV, is expected to undercut its direct rivals by up to $10k.
Its most direct rival will be the Tesla Model Y and if Leapmotor can get close on quality and range, while offering something cheaper it has the potential to be a strong sales performer.
This is the formula the BYD Atto 3 has used and in 2024 it has found 4926 buyers, well above what Stellantis Australia has managed in the same period. If the C10 can have even half the success of the Atto 3, it would be a major boost for Stellantis’ local hopes.
The C10 is only the beginning, with Leapmotor expected to use Stellantis’ €1.5 billion (AU$2.4b) investment to grow its range and international expansion. It already has a mid-size sedan (C01), a small hatch (T03), smaller SUV (C11) and the recently launched large SUV (C16), so there are more options that could only help Leapmotor grow in Australia in the near-future.
Turning around Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Fiat is a separate story, but all three have significant obstacles to overcome to return to the glory days of the past. Jeep is still rebuilding its reputation, Alfa Romeo is waiting for its electric era to begin and Fiat is finding the switch to electrification more difficult than expected (as evidenced by its decision to shut down its production line amid soft demand).
Ironically for a car maker with so many famous brands, introducing an all-new option, without any expectations or previous baggage, could be the best thing for Stellantis Australia.
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