Leapmotor recorded 105,656 deliveries in September 2026, up 58.51% year on year, a new record for the company and a third consecutive month above a hundred thousand cars.
That performance places the marque high in the September table, ahead in some months of globally better-known names such as NIO, Li Auto, XPeng and Zeekr combined.
Leapmotor’s model rests on offering high equipment at relatively low price points, the approach that has reshaped competitiveness in the Chinese market over the past two years.
The fastest overseas expansion does not necessarily come from the technically strongest marques, but from those that find a distribution partner with a service network already in place.
Stellantis holds a stake in the company and a partnership to distribute its cars outside China, a structure that gives the marque access to existing dealer networks rather than building them from scratch — precisely what most rising Chinese marques lack.
For the Gulf, the lesson is in the model rather than the marque: the fastest overseas expansion does not necessarily come from the technically strongest marques, but from those that find a distribution partner with a service network already in place.
That is a point worth a Gulf buyer’s attention when comparing. A marque entering the market through an established dealer group starts with more mature aftersales than one opening its first standalone showroom.
The open question remains margin durability. Growth built on price squeezes profitability, and that later determines a company’s capacity to invest in servicing and parts in distant markets.
