6 Minutes
Leapmotor is no longer behaving like a challenger that hopes to be noticed. It is behaving like a company trying to muscle its way into the front row of the global EV race, and its target is blunt enough to make rivals look twice: one million deliveries in a single year.
That confidence is not coming from a glossy strategy deck. According to local Chinese media outlet Mingjing Pro, Leapmotor founder, chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming believes the company’s April sales momentum, swelling order books and faster factory output give it a real shot at reaching the milestone.
The recovery has already begun. After the usual soft start to the year, Leapmotor delivered 50,029 vehicles in March, lifting first-quarter volume to 110,155 units. That was up 25.82 percent year on year, a useful reminder that China’s EV market may be brutally competitive, but it is still capable of rewarding brands that arrive with the right product at the right price.
The new models are doing the heavy lifting
The A10 and D19 appear to be the sparks behind Leapmotor’s latest burst of confidence. Zhu said orders for both models have beaten internal forecasts, giving the company clearer visibility for the rest of the year. In other words, this is not just optimism. There are customers waiting.
Production is now being pushed hard. Cao Li, Leapmotor’s senior vice president, said the A10 moved into double-shift production in late April, raising daily capacity to more than 1,000 units. Monthly output is expected to climb beyond 26,000 vehicles in May, then move toward 30,000 to 36,000 units in June.
The D19 has a different job. While the A10 is aimed at scale, the D19 is meant to pull the brand upward. The SUV, positioned in a more premium part of the market, has reportedly seen real transaction prices clustered above about €30,500. For a company long associated with value-focused EVs, that matters. It suggests buyers may be willing to see Leapmotor as more than just a budget alternative.
Leapmotor’s lineup is now split across four main families: A, B, C and D. The A series focuses on lower-tier and cost-sensitive markets. The D series carries the brand’s upmarket ambitions. The B and C series sit in the middle, providing the steady sales base needed to keep factories humming and unit costs under control.
At the Beijing Auto Show, the company also introduced the Lafa 5 Ultra, priced from roughly €14,500 to €15,200. It is a compact hatchback with global-friendly proportions: 4,490 mm long, 1,880 mm wide and 1,510 mm tall, with a 2,735 mm wheelbase.
On paper, it is not short on punch. The Lafa 5 Ultra uses a 180 kW electric motor and can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. Buyers get two range options, rated at 500 km and 600 km, depending on the version.
The tech list is just as revealing as the performance figure. Leapmotor has fitted the car with 27 perception hardware components as standard, including LiDAR, plus a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8650 assisted-driving chip rated at 200 TOPS. That is the kind of specification Chinese EV makers increasingly use to separate themselves from traditional compact cars, even at relatively accessible prices.
Scale brings another problem, though: keeping customers happy after the sale. Leapmotor says service quality is now part of its core strategy, with user satisfaction metrics reviewed monthly by the executive team. Sensible move. Delivering hundreds of thousands of cars is impressive. Supporting them properly is what decides whether a fast-growing EV brand becomes trusted or merely talked about.
Europe is becoming the real test
The most intriguing part of Leapmotor’s plan is not only happening in China. Overseas sales already account for more than 36 percent of the company’s total, and Zhu has made it clear that international markets are no longer a side project. Europe is now Leapmotor’s most important region outside China, with Germany and the UK leading sales performance.
The long-term ambition is even bigger: flip the current domestic-overseas balance. Leapmotor wants foreign markets to eventually contribute 60 percent of total sales. Zhu has described that threshold as the point at which the company can truly call itself global.
That is a high bar, especially in Europe, where buyers scrutinize safety, software, servicing, residual values and brand credibility with equal intensity. Price alone will not win the argument. Nor will range figures on a brochure. Leapmotor will need dealers, parts supply, financing, marketing and aftersales to work like a local business rather than a visitor from abroad.
That explains the next step. Leapmotor plans to begin localized production in Spain in the fourth quarter of 2026 using a Completely Knocked Down assembly model. The company also intends to build a local operating system covering manufacturing, logistics, finance and branding.
More models are coming, too. The A05 and D99 are scheduled for a mid-year launch, and management expects vehicles introduced this year to contribute around 60 percent of full-year sales.
Leapmotor’s million-delivery target is ambitious, but the bigger story is whether a fast-rising Chinese EV maker can turn production speed, aggressive technology and European expansion into a lasting global brand.
Comments
mechbyte
Wow, A10 hitting 1k/day is wild! If they keep quality up, could shake up pricing. LiDAR + 200TOPS at that price? Suspicious but exciting.
v8rider
A million cars? Bold move. Europe will chew them up tho, service and trust matter. Need dealers, parts, local teams fast. Risky push.
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