Leapmotor: owner, models, markets and what the name means
Facts checked United States status as of 4 September 2026
- Private
- Electric-native
- SEHK 9863
Leapmotor was founded in Hangzhou in December 2015 by Zhu Jiangming and Fu Liquan, who had built the video-surveillance company Dahua Technology. The company makes an unusual amount of its own hardware — control units, electric drive components and electronics — and gives that as the reason its cars undercut comparable rivals. Its first model, the S01 coupe, reached customers in 2019; the T03 city car and the C10, C11 and C16 SUVs followed, and the B-series arrived from 2025.
Sales outside Greater China run entirely through Leapmotor International, a venture that Stellantis controls with 51% and Leapmotor holds 49%, created after Stellantis bought about a fifth of the Chinese company in October 2023 for €1.5bn. That arrangement gives the brand instant access to Stellantis dealer networks: European sales opened in September 2024 across Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Portugal, and Turkey, Israel, Brazil and Chile followed in the fourth quarter of that year. Mexico came in April 2026 and Argentina in June 2026.
Deliveries reached 596,555 in 2025, more than double 2024, of which 67,052 were outside China through about 900 outlets in 40 countries. The company reported its first annual profit that year. T03 assembly ran at Stellantis's Tychy plant in Poland from June 2024 to March 2025, and B10 production has been announced for Zaragoza in Spain.
Leapmotor is not controlled by Stellantis. Stellantis holds about 19% of the Chinese company but 51% of Leapmotor International, the venture that sells and builds the cars outside Greater China.
Key facts
| Chinese name | 零跑 “ling-PAO” 零 líng 'zero' + 跑 pǎo 'to run' — 'running on zero' |
|---|---|
| Also written | LEAPMOTOR and Lingpao |
| Owner | Leapmotor |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Hangzhou, China |
| Origin | China |
| First car | Leapmotor S01, 2019 |
| Vehicles | Cars |
| Segment | Electric-vehicle start-up |
| United States | Never sold in the United States — Leapmotor has never been sold in the United States. Its overseas venture with Stellantis covers Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa, not North America above Mexico. |
| Official site | www.leapmotor.com/ |
| 2025 deliveries | 596,555 vehicles, up 103%; 67,052 of them outside China |
| First profit | Net profit of about RMB 540m in 2025, against a RMB 2.82bn loss in 2024 |
| Overseas network | About 900 sales and after-sales outlets in 40 countries; more than 850 points of sale in Europe alone |
| European volume | More than 40,000 vehicles shipped to Europe in 2025 by Leapmotor International |
| European assembly | T03 built at Stellantis's Tychy plant in Poland from June 2024 to March 2025; B10 announced for Zaragoza, Spain |
| Stellantis holding | About 21% from October 2023, diluted to about 19% after FAW bought roughly 5% in December 2025 |
Who owns Leapmotor?
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council owns Dongfeng Motor Group at 100% since 2003.
Dongfeng Motor Corporation is a central state-owned enterprise whose shareholding SASAC holds. Dongfeng told the Hong Kong exchange in February 2025 that a planned restructuring might change its controlling shareholder but would not change its ultimate controller, SASAC.
Dongfeng Motor Group holds a stake in Stellantis N.V. at 1.58% since April 2014.
Dongfeng took a stake in PSA in 2014 as part of the capital increase that recapitalised the French company, and has reduced it in stages: a sell-down of 36.1 million shares in September 2021, then a buyback in November 2023 in which Stellantis repurchased 50 million shares for EUR 934 million, leaving Dongfeng with 49.2 million shares, or 1.58% of the share capital. Any change after November 2023 was not verified for this entry.
Stellantis N.V. holds a stake in Leapmotor at 21% since October 2023.
Stellantis paid about €1.5bn in October 2023 to become Leapmotor's largest single shareholder, and its own release of 8 May 2026 still describes the holding as approximately 21%. A FAW investment arm bought about 5% of Leapmotor on 29 December 2025, which secondary reporting says diluted Stellantis to about 19%. Both figures are given because the primary and secondary sources disagree; Stellantis does not control Leapmotor either way.
The full ownership page for Leapmotor · Is Leapmotor Chinese?
Leapmotor models
| Model | Name in China | Body | Powertrain | Range | Price in China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 零跑B10B10 | 零跑B10 / Leapmotor B10 | SUV | Battery-electric | 510 km CLTC | CNY 99,800 as of |
| 零跑C10C10 | 零跑C10 / Leapmotor C10 | SUV | Offered with more than one powertrain | 605 km CLTC | not published |
| 零跑C16C16 | 零跑C16 / Leapmotor C16 | SUV | Offered with more than one powertrain | 630 km CLTC | not published |
| 零跑T03T03 | 零跑T03 / Leapmotor T03 | Hatchback | Battery-electric | 403 km NEDC | not published |
Where Leapmotor is sold
Recorded in 16 market s: CN, BE, France, Italy, Germany, GR, Netherlands, RO, Spain, PT, Türkiye, Israel, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and AR. Where a company publishes only its principal markets, that is a floor and not a complete list.
| Country | Code | Market page |
|---|---|---|
| China | CN | no page yet |
| Belgium | BE | no page yet |
| France | FR | Chinese cars in France |
| Italy | IT | Chinese cars in Italy |
| Germany | DE | Chinese cars in Germany |
| Greece | GR | no page yet |
| Netherlands | NL | Chinese cars in the Netherlands |
| Romania | RO | no page yet |
| Spain | ES | Chinese cars in Spain |
| Portugal | PT | no page yet |
| Türkiye | TR | Chinese cars in Türkiye |
| Israel | IL | Chinese cars in Israel |
| Brazil | BR | Chinese cars in Brazil |
| Chile | CL | Chinese cars in Chile |
| Mexico | MX | Chinese cars in Mexico |
| Argentina | AR | no page yet |
Leapmotor: questions people ask
- Who owns Leapmotor?
- Leapmotor is listed in Hong Kong (SEHK 9863). Stellantis is the largest outside shareholder at about 19%, and FAW bought roughly 5% in December 2025. Founder Zhu Jiangming remains chairman and chief executive; Stellantis does not control the company.
- Is Leapmotor Chinese or European?
- Chinese. It was founded in Hangzhou in 2015 and its cars are engineered and built in China. What is European is the sales channel: Leapmotor International, 51% owned by Stellantis, handles everything outside Greater China.
- Why is Leapmotor sold in Stellantis dealerships?
- Because Leapmotor International, the joint venture Stellantis controls, has the exclusive right to sell and build Leapmotor products outside Greater China and uses Stellantis's existing networks.
- Are Leapmotors built in Europe?
- Only in part and only briefly so far. The T03 was assembled at Tychy in Poland from June 2024 to March 2025. Stellantis and Leapmotor announced in May 2026 that the B10 would be built at Figueruelas in Zaragoza, Spain.
Related
Sources for Leapmotor
- CarNewsChina, Stellantis-backed Leapmotor reaches annual profit for the first time. Read . 2025 deliveries, profit, overseas deliveries and the 40-country outlet figure
- Stellantis N.V. (via GlobeNewswire), Stellantis And Leapmotor Announce Their Intention To Take Their Strategic Partnership To The Next Level. Read . Company statement of 8 May 2026: JV split, European volumes, points of sale, Spanish plants and the Mexican launch
- Wikipedia, Leapmotor. Read . Founding, first car, market-by-market launch dates, Tychy assembly and the diluted Stellantis stake