Leapmotor C10 EV to be assembled in Malaysia by end 2025 – Gurun to export to ASEAN markets eventually

Stellantis and Leapmotor have inked a deal that will see local assembly of Leapmotor vehicles in Malaysia begin at Stellantis’ existing plant in Gurun, Kedah by the end of 2025. The initiative will begin with an initial investment of five million euros (RM24 million).

The first model that will come about under the programme will be the Leapmotor C10, which made its Malaysian debut in October last year. While production will first cater to the domestic market, the plan is to expand the brand’s presence within the ASEAN region and beyond through the initiative. Further Leapmotor models are also on the cards in the coming future, including the B10 five-seat SUV and C10 REEV.

According to Stellantis ASEAN MD Isaac Yeo, Malaysia is set to be a main manufacturing hub for Stellantis. “The plan is to expand our manufacturing footprint using Leapmotor first, eventually bringing in the B10, before then moving on to our branch of brands under the Stellantis label,” he said during the signing ceremony earlier today.

Yeo said that C10 production will adopt a semi-knocked down (SKD) approach when it begins at the end of this year, but would progress towards CKD as it looks toward exports. “The next step will be to bring in suppliers to do deep localisation for Leapmotor, and gradually from this year until 2030 we will be moving year by year into ASEAN exports. By 2026 and 2027, we will probably be exporting from here to other regions,” he said.

The company said Gurun, which presently has a build capacity of almost 60,000 units a year, was chosen because of its strategic location and established automotive infrastructure, which will enable efficient production scale-up and allow seamless distribution to neighbouring regional markets in line with the automaker’s ‘Built in ASEAN for ASEAN’ roadmap.

“The Gurun plant has become a cornerstone of Stellantis’ manufacturing presence in the region. We have proactively enhanced its capabilities to support EV assembly, and we are proud that Leapmotor will be the first locally-assembled electric vehicle to emerge from this plant. This marks a meaningful step forward not just for Stellantis, but for Malaysia’s role in the regional EV landscape,” Yeo said.

The company is also looking to introduce the C10 REEV here. “By next year we will hopefully be bringing in the C10 REEV. The issue is that the REEV is still classified as an ICE, so we are working with MITI and MIDA to see if we can localise that for Malaysia and also for the ASEAN market,” he explained.

Present at the signing ceremony was Leapmotor founder, chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming, who said the project will accelerate Leapmotor’s expansion in the region. “We look forward to working with Stellantis Group to bring new technology and vitality to the transformation of Malaysia’s automotive industry, and to set a benchmark and model for opening up the entire Southeast Asian market for Leapmotor,” he said.

Leapmotor International CEO Xin Tianshu added that the collaboration also highlights the shared goal of Stellantis and Leapmotor to promote clean energy development in the local market.

Separately, we asked Xin if there were plans to add Android Auto and Apple CarPlay into the C10 when local production begins. “Yes, we do have a plan. At the moment we don’t have it, but we do plan to add AACP into the C10, very soon,” he told paultan.org.

The signing ceremony also saw a special appearance of the C10 REEV as well as the C11 and six-seater C16 in their REEV forms, the trio making up the Leapmotor ‘Roadtrip to Southeast Asia’ convoy that journeyed 3,000 km from China for this event.

GALLERY: Leapmotor C11 and C16 REEVs, LHD

GALLERY: Leapmotor C10 EV

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