Stellantis CEO follows Chinese route to avoid EV tariff 'trap'

• Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares calls tariffs a 'trap' shielding legacy automakers
  

  • Stellantis' joint venture with Leapmotor gives access to Chinese EV technology
  • U.S. and EU have differing strategies on Chinese EVs and technology

LONDON/DETROIT, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Stellantis wants to adopt the low-cost mindset of Chinese EV makers despite the European and U.S. tariffs CEO Carlos Tavares lambasts as anticompetitive, but the world's No. 4 automaker must navigate trade barriers on both sides of the Atlantic if it wants to succeed.

Tavares calls tariffs a "trap," arguing they will hurt legacy automakers by shielding them from the reality that Chinese rivals make electric vehicles for about a third less.

The best way to compete is instead to "try to be Chinese ourselves," Tavares said at a Reuters Events conference in Munich in May.

That belief led Stellantis to purchase a 21% stake in China EV maker Leapmotor last October, creating a joint venture giving Stellantis access to Leapmotor technology and exclusive rights to produce its EVs outside of China.