How Stellantis is improving its Chinese Leapmotor brand thanks to the Balocco test center (Alfa Romeo/Maserati)

When we think of the Balocco circuit, located between Turin and Milan, we immediately think of Alfa Romeo and Maserati, but also Fiat and even... Ferrari! Although the prancing horse has its own circuit in Fiorano, it is first and foremost a communications tool. For serious testing, away from prying eyes, Balocco is the place to be. The FCA Group's historic test center, today StellantisA large number of Italy's most emblematic models were born and honed here.

But a new guest has recently arrived on the Balocco tracks: Leapmotor. The young Chinese brand, of which Stellantis owns 51 % through the joint venture Leapmotor International (and 21 % directly in Leapmotor), now benefits from Italian know-how to refine its models for Europe.

Leapmotor, Italian-style tuning

To date, two models have already benefited from the test center: the T03 city car and the C10 SUV. And it's a safe bet that the future B05, a rear-wheel drive with 50/50 weight distribution and 19″ wheels, will follow suit. It was at Balocco that these vehicles saw their chassis adjusted, worked on and fine-tuned by Stellantis engineers, to offer stable, reassuring and dynamic behavior, as Federico Landini, in charge of chassis tuning, who had already distinguished himself on the Maserati MC20, explained. Discover the supercar behind the C10 leapmotor in the video below.

The C10, for example, underwent a kind of "internship" in Italy before its arrival on the European market. Its suspension settings were reworked to meet the expectations of drivers on the Old Continent, accustomed to more demanding roads than the perfectly smooth highways of China. There, customers prefer soft comfort; here, drivers expect more dynamism and precision.

China-Italy collaboration

This collaboration between the Leapmotor and Maserati/Alfa Romeo teams is not limited to Italy. Tests are also carried out in China, at the China Automotive Center's Yancheng site. But the contribution of Italian know-how is undeniable. As Zhu Jiangming, founder and CEO of Leapmotor, points out, "Maserati and Leapmotor's chassis R&D team work together to perfect the Chinese brand's models".

Tianshu Xin, CEO of Leapmotor International, agrees, stressing the importance of Balocco:

"All our cars have been (re)tuned from a chassis point of view by Stellantis engineers at the Balocco test center. In China, suspensions are set very soft for comfort, but in Europe expectations are different. Italian expertise helps us to adapt our models to the market.

And tomorrow?

The future looks just as European for Leapmotor. The B05, the brand's next new model, already promises rear-wheel drive architecture and a perfect 50/50 weight distribution, a guarantee of driving pleasure. A philosophy reminiscent of the best Alfa Romeos...

So who would have thought that in Balocco, between two Maseratis and an Alfa Romeo, Italian engineers would be sharpening the chassis of a Chinese Leapmotor?