Leapmotor will start local assembly operations in Malaysia from the end of 2025 at the Stellantis plant in Gurun, Kedah. The initiative reinforces Stellantis’ commitment to regional growth, with the India & Asia Pacific (IAP) region identified as one of the company’s key growth drivers under its Dare Forward 2030 strategy.
The operations will begin with an initial investment of 5 million euros (RM24 million) to assemble the C10 SUV which was launched in Malaysia in October 2024. The fully electric model is currently sold with a duty-exemption incentive which will expire at the end of this year. As Leapmotor will be assembling it locally, the model will be exempted from excise duty, sales tax, and import duty for components used in their assembly until December 31, 2027.
With assembly in Malaysia, Leapmotor is set to expand its presence within the region. The status of the Gurun plant as a regional automotive hub enables efficient production scale-up and seamless distribution to neighbouring ASEAN markets (with AFTA benefits), in line with Stellantis’ ‘Built in ASEAN for ASEAN’ roadmap.
This strategic move places Malaysia at the forefront of EV industrialization in the ASEAN region and reflects Stellantis’ commitment to accelerating sustainable mobility through its partnership with Leapmotor, a fast-growing New Energy Vehicle (NEV) leader from China.
![Leapmotor C10 EV [2024]](https://www.motaauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Leapmotor-C10-EV-2024-2.png)
According to Isaac Yeo, Managing Director of Stellantis ASEAN, the Gurun plant has proactively enhanced its capabilities to support EV assembly. “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,” he said.
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