The Big Picture
- Leapmotor Mexico B10 deliveries started today. 575,000 pesos ($32,895). 990km EREV. First Chinese EV startup in North America.
- Stellantis is the key. B10 tested at Stellantis’ Mexico R&D center. Parts via Mopar’s 45,000 sqm Toluca warehouse. Leapmotor inherited Stellantis’ infrastructure.
- BYD, Chery, Geely are still in talks about Canada. Leapmotor is already delivering.
1. The Specs and Strategy
Leapmotor Mexico launched with B10 Ultra Hibrido Design at 575,000 pesos ($32,895) — 14% cheaper than Germany. EREV: 1.5L generator, 160kW motor, 18.8 kWh LFP, 98km EV / 990km combined. DC fast charge 30-80% in 19 minutes. 28 stores, 6 in Mexico City. More coming.
The B10 spent a year in local testing at Stellantis’ Mexico center — highlands, deserts, rainforests. Mopar handles service from a 45,000 sqm Toluca warehouse, 24-48 hour delivery nationwide.
2. The Stellantis Advantage
Leapmotor is 20% owned by Stellantis (€1.5B, October 2023). The partnership gave Stellantis EV tech. It gave Leapmotor a ready-made North American distribution network.
Entering Mexico solo would take 3-5 years. Leapmotor skipped all of it: certified at a Stellantis facility, serviced by Mopar, parts from Stellantis warehouses. No one in Mexico asks if Leapmotor is Chinese — it arrived through a European partner. The Stellantis badge isn’t on the car, but it’s on the infrastructure.
3. Why Mexico Matters
Mexico is the only country where USMCA allows duty-free vehicle access to both the US and Canada. Chinese automakers are exploring Canadian manufacturing for US market access. Mexico is the same playbook, different door.
Leapmotor hasn’t announced US/Canada plans. But it now has vehicles in North America, a distribution network, and a manufacturing partner with Mexican factories. If demand validates, CKD assembly in a Stellantis facility is the logical next step — and USMCA implications follow.
Leapmotor: 93,376 deliveries in June (+94.5% YoY), 1.5M cumulative, targeting 1M in 2026, operating in 40+ countries. This is not an unknown startup. It’s one of China’s fastest-growing EV makers, entering North America through the only door open.
Author’s Take: Leapmotor doesn’t have BYD’s scale or Nio’s premium positioning. What it has is the smartest North America entry strategy. The Stellantis partnership turns the hardest market entry into an operational handoff: Stellantis tested, distributes, and services. Leapmotor provides the product. Neither the Mexican government nor consumers need to think about China. That’s the template for politically sensitive markets: walk through a door someone else opened.
The Bottom Line
Leapmotor Mexico is the first Chinese EV startup in North America — and it did it without building infrastructure. Stellantis handed over a fully operational network on day one. BYD, Chery and Geely are negotiating. Leapmotor is delivering. That’s strategy.
