Leapmotor said on October 13 that its global strategic model, the Lafa5, has accumulated more than 12,000 overseas orders in the four months since its international launch, setting a new record for the brand's order pace after a foreign-market debut, according to Gasgoo.
The Lafa5 is a sports coupe developed for global markets on the LEAP 3.5 architecture, with a 2,735-millimetre wheelbase and two range options of 515 kilometres and 605 kilometres. Leapmotor senior vice president Cao Li previously said the model was not developed for a single market but to meet the needs of users in China, Europe and South America, and that overseas sales could eventually account for around half of total volume.
In China, the Lafa5 delivered 17,042 units in its first 35 days on sale, the fastest any Leapmotor model has reached 10,000 cumulative deliveries, the company said.
Exports accelerating
Leapmotor sold 67,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, ranking first among Chinese new-energy startups for exports, and shipped more than 75,000 units in the first five months of 2026, already exceeding the full-year 2025 export total. The company's joint venture with Stellantis, Leapmotor International, turned profitable in its second year and now has sales networks in more than 40 countries and regions.
The Lafa5 has been rolling out across 26 European markets including Germany, France and the UK since June 2026, and expanded to Australia and New Zealand in August.
Leapmotor's overseas push comes as Chinese EV makers increasingly look beyond the domestic market, where price competition remains intense. The company's partnership with Stellantis gives it access to established distribution channels in Europe, a key advantage as tariffs reshape trade flows.
The Lafa5's dual-market strategy - with different range variants for different regions - reflects a broader shift among Chinese automakers toward building models that can compete globally rather than adapting domestic designs for export.
