Carlos Tavares provided additional information on his association with the Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor. However, he has not changed his vision of the catastrophe that is looming with the massive arrival of Chinese manufacturers in Europe.
At the head of the Franco-Italian-American Stellantis group – bringing together 14 brands including Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel and Jeep – Carlos Tavares has always been particularly unfavorable to the arrival of Chinese manufacturers on the European market. However, he surprised everyone by joining forces in October with Leapmotor, a young Chinese automotive startup, of which he apparently thinks very highly.
Through interviews given to Challenges and Les Échos on February 1, the business leader discusses his vision of the automobile market and the dangers that await it. And, despite its partnership with Leapmotor, the boss remains particularly severe about the red carpet rolled out by Europe for these Chinese brands.
A strategic agreement for a return to China
In his interview with Challenges, Carlos Tavares indicates that the Stellantis group is working on a return to China. Except that unlike the defensive position, which the Chinese authorities are forcing through partnerships with local manufacturers, Stellantis wants to attack the market more offensively. This explains the choice of an alliance with Leapmotor.
Considering that China will prevent foreign groups from taking control of one of their large groups (SAIC, Geely, GWM, BYD, etc.), Stellantis has chosen to go under the radar by choosing a still small, but promising, player to launch his offensive.
As announced during the agreement, Leapmotor teams will lead the activity in China, while Stellantis will provide support for international exports. A choice which still questions the real strategy of the boss of Stellantis. Carlos Tavares seems to still have a few hidden cards up his sleeve regarding the ambitions attached to this agreement.
Very good electric cars
Leapmotor wasn’t chosen just for its size. Carlos Tavares specifies that the Chinese manufacturer “ makes excellent cars ”, which is not quite the kind of compliment he gives lightly. The boss had the opportunity to try them and, according to him, “ the technological base is solid in electricity. “. To say otherwise would have been surprising to describe his new partner, however.
That being said, the Chinese manufacturer has an approach opposite to the current strategy at Stellantis. While Carlos Tavares persists and signs his desire to maintain exit doors with multi-energy cars, Leapmotor models are imagined from software and for electricity.
The Chinese threat
Does his alliance with a local manufacturer reconcile the boss of Stellantis with Chinese manufacturers? Certainly not. For Carlos Tavares, “ if the automobile industry [européenne] don’t move, it will disappear under the Chinese offensive. »
He suggests that several European groups, including Renault, could very well end up coming under Chinese ownership, and insists that the Chinese have 30% lower production costs. Consequently, ” those who haven’t done their homework on cost reduction are the ones who will end up in trouble. »
The boss is still very angry with Brussels politicians for having imposed the electric car as a response to climate issues. At least on this point, we clearly recognize the boss of the Stellantis group.
China vs Europe, it’s the suspense match that risks stretching over several years in the world of electric cars. Subscribe to our Watt Else newsletter to follow this long-term theme with all its twists and turns.
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