Leapmotor Hits One Million Vehicles Built

In just a few short years, Leapmotor has gone from a startup challenger to one of the fastest-growing names in China’s auto industry. This week, the Stellantis-backed automaker celebrated rolling its 1,000,000th vehicle off the production line—a milestone that firmly cements the brand as a major player in the world’s largest car market.

What makes this milestone stand out isn’t just the number—it’s the speed. Leapmotor reached the half-million mark in 2024, but it only took 343 days to double that figure to one million. That’s the quickest climb to one million vehicles for any of China’s “new power” EV companies, showing just how rapidly the brand has scaled production and gained customer trust.

From Startup to Scale in Record Time – 

When Leapmotor launched its first car, the S01 coupe, in 2019, it was considered one of dozens of new EV hopefuls. Now, just six years later, it’s delivering over 320,000 vehicles annually and sitting at the top of China’s new-energy vehicle sales charts. The company has also earned a spot on multiple “Top 500” lists in China, including rankings for manufacturing, private enterprises, and overall business.

Founder, Chairman, and CEO Zhu Jiangming highlighted the pace of growth at the celebration event:

“It took us five years to build 500,000 vehicles. It took less than one year to build the next 500,000. That shows just how much faster we’re moving now. Our goal is to celebrate the next million even sooner.”

This steady climb has been dubbed the “Leap Phenomenon” by industry watchers, who attribute it to a focus on in-house research, affordability, and wide-reaching technology, which has turned Leapmotor into a volume leader.

A Product Lineup That Clicks With Buyers – 

Leapmotor has taken a methodical approach, building out a product portfolio that covers multiple segments. The company calls it the “ABCD” lineup:

• C10 SUV – Its breakout hit, with over 160,000 units sold globally in just 17 months, leading the mid-size SUV sales race among new-energy brands.

• C16 SUV – A larger, long-range, comfort-focused SUV that pairs with the C10 to dominate customer satisfaction scores in China’s EV space.

• B10 sedan – Launched in spring 2025, it quickly hit 10,000 units per month, already crossing 60,000 deliveries.

• Lafa5 / B05 – A youth-focused, stylish compact making its debut in Europe at the Munich Motor Show. It’s coming to China later this year, followed by a global launch in 2026.

By targeting multiple vehicle categories—sedans, SUVs, and soon MPVs—Leapmotor has created what it calls an “explosive effect,” where multiple products generate momentum together, rather than relying on a single bestseller.

For Stellantis, which took a significant stake in Leapmotor in 2023, this milestone validates its strategy of partnering with a local EV player in China rather than going it alone. Leapmotor provides Stellantis with access to scalable EV platforms, technology developed in-house, and a growing international footprint.

As Leapmotor prepares to export its vehicles under Stellantis’ global distribution network, the one-million milestone doesn’t just represent domestic success—it’s a launchpad for worldwide expansion.

Looking Ahead – 

Leapmotor’s challenge now is keeping the momentum going while scaling into a global brand. Its speed to one million cars has raised expectations, but if the company can maintain quality, affordability, and innovation, it could become the first Chinese “new power” brand to break through in Europe and beyond truly.

For Stellantis, that means one thing: the Leapmotor investment may end up being one of its smartest long-term moves in the race to electrification.