Gasgoo Munich- The Paris Motor Show has long been a key window into the shifting dynamics of the global auto industry. Its significance lies not just in the new products and technologies on display, but in how it reflects the changing positions of market forces amid the push toward electrification, smart mobility, and globalization.
Chinese brands have carved out a growing presence at the show. Everything from the number of exhibitors and product types to how they partner with global automakers is shifting.
Chinese automakers once relied mostly on trade-style exports—selling cars overseas and winning market share on price and features. Today, as electrification and smart technology deepen, and as EU trade policies, local regulations, and consumer service expectations keep evolving, simple exports and price wars are no longer enough to sustain long-term, stable growth in Europe.
To truly take root in Europe, Chinese brands must shift from exporting products to exporting entire systems—from chasing short-term sales to building long-term reputation, and from simple trade to competing on the full mix of local manufacturing, distribution, compliance, and brand-building.
At this inflection point, Leapmotor—an early mover in overseas expansion—offers a concrete case study of how Chinese brands are navigating globalization.
Image source: Leapmotor
On the sales front, Leapmotor's overseas business is expanding fast. At the Paris show, founder, chairman, and CEO Zhu Jiangming shared some figures: by the end of the third quarter this year, overseas sales had approached 150,000 units (compared with 70,000 for all of last year). Europe, in particular, is scaling up quickly.
Meanwhile, Leapmotor is also growing rapidly at home. Zhu noted that even as China's broader market contracted this year, the company posted a 40% gain. Behind those numbers lie both product strength and the distribution, after-sales, and local ecosystem backing from its partnership with Stellantis. More importantly, Leapmotor is grappling with a question every Chinese automaker must answer overseas: when globalization shifts from simply selling cars to building systems, what will actually keep a brand anchored abroad for the long haul?
Leapmotor's Globalization Through the Paris Show
At this year's show, the Leapmotor B03 and D19 shared the stage, forming a high-tension duo at the core of the brand's European lineup.
One model targets the high-volume mainstream segment; the other aims higher up the price ladder. The resulting questions around brand coherence and premium pricing touch on a core challenge for Chinese brands pushing upward in Europe. Xin Tianshu, head of Stellantis' China and Asia-Pacific operations, noted that Leapmotor isn't stuck on single-model pricing logic. Instead, it views its European lineup as an entire spectrum: the T03 covers A-segment cars, the B03 and B03X cover B-segment, the B10 and B05 cover C-segment, the C10 hits D-segment, and the D19 enters the E-segment SUV class. Leapmotor now spans the A- through E-segments in Europe.
Such a layout, Xin argued, doesn't just meet mobility needs—it also delivers stronger returns for investors and dealers. That reveals the core logic of Leapmotor's European product strategy: rather than betting on a single model, it covers multiple segments with a full portfolio.
Zhu stressed that European volumes for individual models will likely be smaller than in China, so the A, B, and C series will form the mainstay there. Even so, Leapmotor will tailor shared architectures with local differences—tuning handling, defining features, and more.
Image source: Leapmotor
On the smart-mobility front, Leapmotor is taking a phased approach in Europe.
Executive director and senior vice president Cao Li noted that advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) haven't yet reached the maturity they have in China—so they aren't the top priority right now. Leapmotor has already launched a world-model ADAS at home and will roll it out widely on domestic models from year-end into early next year. At the same time, it's actively building the foundations for overseas ADAS adaptation.
Next year, Leapmotor plans to stand up local data collection and training for ADAS across Europe. Zhu predicts that Europe will soon follow China's development pace, because mature technologies—especially in electrification and smart driving—can be replicated overseas faster and at lower cost.
In truth, Europe has been relatively conservative on smart features, but as EV penetration rises, demand for intelligence will gradually unlock. Leapmotor's strategy—leading with EVs, then layering in localized ADAS—fits the market's current stage. ADAS touches on data collection, training, regulatory certification, and user acceptance; it can't simply be ported over from China.
The real signal of Leapmotor's strategic upgrade in Europe is local manufacturing. Zhu revealed that vehicle and battery production capacity in Spain will come online soon, with a rollout ceremony at the Zaragoza plant marking the start of true localized CKD assembly.
CKD assembly means body stamping, welding, and painting are all done locally in Europe, with most major parts sourced from local factories—achieving deep localization. It mirrors the brand-manufacturing-sales model foreign automakers used when entering China in the 1980s and '90s. Zhu believes this will become the norm for Chinese NEV exports. Leapmotor's initial local content ratio will exceed 40%, and as more in-house components are produced locally, that share will keep climbing.
The EU imposes requirements on local value content, parts ratios, employment, and regulations. Chinese automakers selling into Europe without local presence are vulnerable to trade barriers and policy shifts. By leaning on Stellantis' existing capacity and supply chain, plus its CKD plant in Spain, Leapmotor can meet localization rules while tapping mature suppliers in Spain and nearby for bodies, interiors, and chassis—cutting transport costs.
This blend—Chinese core parts plus European manufacturing—is neither pure export nor full localization. It's a dynamic balance, calibrated to cost and scale.
After-sales and distribution networks are equally vital to Leapmotor's rapid scaling in Europe.
Xin noted that in under two years, Leapmotor has set up more than 1,000 outlets across Europe—a remarkable pace. Stellantis' formidable distribution network, combined with Leapmotor's competitive products, has quickly turned store counts into geographic coverage.
European buyers care deeply about drive time to a dealership; 20 to 25 minutes is the standard. Leapmotor's network now ensures customers feel confident about buying, owning, and servicing their cars.
On the parts front, Leapmotor was ready from day one. Spare parts flow to the local European hub with a 98% fulfillment rate—a figure that beats many legacy European automakers. Xin said this sets Leapmotor apart from other OEMs going abroad: it built out its readiness from the very start.
Distribution and after-sales are the easiest things for a new brand to underestimate overseas. Yet in Europe, selling the car is just the beginning—service, parts, and the ownership experience shape reputation. Chinese brands may attract buyers early on with value for money, but keeping them long-term demands solid service and word-of-mouth.
Leapmotor's "Reverse Joint Venture"
Analyze Leapmotor's globalization model, and the partnership with Stellantis inevitably draws the most attention.
Leapmotor hasn't been in Europe long, but sales are scaling fast. What's driving that? Xin pointed to two factors: a vast European footprint, where Stellantis' network amplifies Leapmotor's competitive products, and thorough after-sales preparation. Cao added that selling cars isn't just about the product—it's the whole ecosystem, from dealerships to logistics, service, and IT. The Leapmotor-Stellantis partnership, he said, is a model for Chinese automakers going abroad.
The industry often calls this the "reverse joint venture."
Foreign brands once brought technology, products, and badges into China, forming joint ventures with local automakers. Now, Chinese brands like Leapmotor are bringing NEV products, tech, and cost advantages to partners like Stellantis to enter Europe.
Some worry that leaning on Stellantis' channels and systems for a quick overseas launch might leave Leapmotor without fully developed capabilities of its own. Zhu's response: every coin has two sides. The key is using close cooperation to maximize the upside and minimize the downside.
Stellantis is both a Leapmotor shareholder and the main operator of Leapmotor International. From a profit-maximization standpoint, there's every reason to cooperate and grow the pie. Zhu also stressed that Leapmotor's overseas model mirrors the old JVs foreign brands formed in China. Leapmotor isn't failing to build overseas capabilities—Leapmotor International is a joint-venture subsidiary, operating relatively independently, with the power to build out local operations as a standalone company selling and producing Leapmotor vehicles.
That response cuts to the heart of Leapmotor's approach: it isn't outsourcing its overseas business. Through a joint venture, both sides' interests are aligned. Leapmotor brings products, technology, platforms, and in-house manufacturing capability; Stellantis contributes distribution, after-sales, local production, regulatory compliance, and brand-operating experience.
For Chinese automakers, building overseas capabilities takes time—especially in Europe, where distribution, after-sales, regulations, unions, labor laws, and type-approval create a complex web. Using a JV to fast-track system-building while keeping Leapmotor International relatively independent is a pragmatic choice. The risk is that strategic misalignment or disputes over profit-sharing could destabilize the partnership. So far, though, Leapmotor's surging overseas sales suggest the collaboration is generating positive synergy.
The partnership matters to Stellantis, too. Xin said Stellantis is learning a lot—integrating Leapmotor models involves deep exchanges, and Stellantis can use Leapmotor's platforms and tech to develop its own vehicles, speeding its energy transition. Xin noted that Europe's EV shift has visibly accelerated since the second half of this year. Against that backdrop, the Leapmotor-Stellantis tie-up is a win-win.
Overall, the Stellantis-Leapmotor partnership isn't a one-way transfer—it's a two-way complement. That, Xin stressed, is the fundamental reason the collaboration has run so smoothly over the past three years.
Leapmotor's Expansion, Industry Lessons Learned
The changing headcount of Chinese brands at the Paris show mirrors the pace of China's auto exports. From nine stands at the last edition to 22 this year—counting brands acquired by Chinese capital—the jump captures an industry racing to globalize.
Of course, it's not just stand sizes and counts that are changing. Zhu shared his three-decade entrepreneurial journey, drawing parallels to the security industry. China once had no security sector at all; today, its brands dominate globally—starting from the low end and small booths, then climbing worldwide through technology, cost, and scale.
The auto industry is more complex, but electrification and smart mobility have given Chinese brands a chance to leapfrog the competition. It's reasonable to believe China's auto industry will one day take center stage globally.
Europe is accelerating its shift to EVs, meaning demand for new-energy products will keep rising—though competition will intensify, too. Chinese brands are clustering in Iberian Peninsula countries like Spain and Portugal to sidestep EU trade barriers. As that capacity comes online, a universal challenge for Chinese factories in Europe will be meeting local-value and parts-ratio rules while creating local jobs.
Zhu stressed that Leapmotor will always choose the fastest, most cost-effective path to localization—provided it satisfies EU and Chinese regulations. His advice to other automakers? Find a capable, suitable partner—that's critical. And truly understand and meet local regulations and market needs, rather than blindly copying the domestic playbook, which often won't work.
Europe is not a monolith; regulations, unions, labor systems, and consumer tastes vary widely. Chinese automakers are used to rapid iteration and cutthroat competition at home, but in Europe, they must respect local rules. Leapmotor partnered with Stellantis precisely to tap its local knowledge and cut the cost of trial and error. At the same time, Leapmotor hasn't given up its edge in electronics, in-house parts, and cost control. Merging Chinese strengths with European local advantages—a philosophy of deploying global resources locally—is far more sustainable than pure export.
For all its rapid overseas growth, Leapmotor still faces clear challenges. It has formidable rivals ahead and fast followers behind—and for now, its fiercest competition may still come from domestic peers.
Chinese brands have built scale and experience in NEVs, with lower costs, strong reliability, and sharper competitive edges. They are bound to cross paths overseas. In that arena, quality is fundamental, and reputation is the bedrock of long-term growth.
Moreover, models like the D19 are entering target markets occupied by EVs from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and other European luxury stalwarts. How Leapmotor manages brand premium will be another question it must answer.
Image source: Leapmotor
Bottom line: The signals Leapmotor sent at the 2026 Paris Motor Show map out one globalization path for Chinese NEV makers today—built on product competitiveness, leveraged through deep partnership, anchored by local manufacturing and after-sales, and grounded in quality, reputation, and long-termism.
At the show, Leapmotor exhibiting inside the Stellantis pavilion spoke volumes about the depth of their partnership—and about how Chinese brands are redefining their role in the global industry. Once learners and chasers, they are now exporting technology, products, and business models in the NEV space.
For Chinese automakers, Leapmotor's journey proves at least one thing: going overseas isn't about copy-pasting domestic success. It's about reconfiguring resources globally, respecting local rules, insisting on quality and reputation, and building a long-term, win-win industrial ecosystem with the right partner.
