At Leapmotor Technology Day 2026, CEO Zhu Jiangming announced that the company is building a second brand. Its first car will use the next-generation LEAP 5.0 architecture. Launch and first deliveries are planned for the last quarter of 2027, as Zhu pursues an “iPhone moment” for cars.
Zhu wants Leapmotor to become the “Apple of the car industry” and launch a product that changes what people expect from a car. He describes a total rethink: a car as a “complete entity” and mobile space, with a purpose beyond transport. LEAP 5.0 was presented alongside the new CTC 3.0 battery technology at Tech Day 2026, as part of a unified product strategy for Leapmotor’s next generation of vehicles.
To explain his idea, Zhu pointed to Apple. He said Apple didn’t invent the technologies behind the iPhone. Wireless communication and computing already existed, as did touchscreens, cameras and MP3 players. Apple combined them in a way that changed how people use technology. Leapmotor wants to bring similar integration and user experience to cars.
Zhu says most new energy cars still copy old shapes and layouts. As self-driving technology improves and drivers do less, he believes the car’s interior and purpose should change completely. The unnamed second brand is intended to reflect that shift, with LEAP 5.0 at its heart. Pricing and specifications have not been disclosed; launch and first deliveries are scheduled for the last three months of 2027.
The company also showed “LWM” (Leapmotor World Model), an AI-based driver-assistance system trained on huge data sets. It fits Leapmotor’s long-running push for vertical integration: the company makes about 65% of its cars’ value in-house. Earlier developments include Cell-to-Chassis systems. Leapmotor has also centralized electronics, while integrating lead units tightly. Official Leapmotor and Stellantis materials describe LEAP 5.0 as a “New Mobile Space Architecture” that unites the vehicle’s physical and electronic architecture to support new interior-use scenarios. Automotive World reports that industry sources expect the second brand to sit above Leapmotor’s current lineup and potentially target a higher price segment, though the company has not officially confirmed this.
The timing matters. In 2025, Leapmotor delivered nearly 600,000 cars, more than twice as many as the year before, and has shipped over 1.5 million vehicles since it started. In August, it set another record, delivering 103,129 cars in one month. That was the second consecutive month above 100,000. Growth is also extending beyond China. In Europe, Leapmotor is expanding through its partnership with Stellantis, which now owns 51% of Leapmotor International, the group responsible for business outside China.
Spain is becoming a basic part of the plan. Pre-production of the Leapmotor B10 has started at Stellantis’s Zaragoza plant, with more European manufacturing planned. The alliance is intended to accelerate growth and make Spain a hub for Leapmotor’s global expansion. As reported earlier, Chinese electric car makers are already changing the Spanish market. Leapmotor’s next steps could push that shift further.
Zhu’s “iPhone moment” ambition is bold, backed by Leapmotor’s rapid growth and in-house technology. If the company delivers on the new brand and LEAP 5.0, it could raise the bar for Chinese automakers in Europe and prompt the wider industry to rethink the car.
