Leapmotor now operates a three-hub collaborative design system across Hangzhou, Shanghai and Munich, with each site jointly leading future product development.
On November 19, Leapmotor announced the official launch of its Shanghai Design Center, located in the core area of Hongqiao.
This marks the company’s second design center in China following Hangzhou, signaling a transition to a multi-site collaborative design model.
The new center will leverage Shanghai’s advantages in talent and the automotive supply chain, integrating overseas and domestic design teams to establish a more open and globally interconnected design framework.
In a recent interview, Leapmotor’s design lead Cao Li said the company now operates a three-city collaborative structure spanning Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Munich, with all three hubs jointly driving product design and development going forward.
The expansion aligns with Leapmotor’s latest product moves. The newly launched all-electric fastback sedan Lafa 5, which opened pre-sales on November 7, was jointly designed by teams in Shanghai and Munich.
The model offers five variants priced between RMB 105,800 ($14,812) and RMB 131,800 ($18,452), and will officially debut on November 28, targeting the RMB 100,000–150,000 ($14,000–$21,000) youth-focused market segment.
The Shanghai center also incorporates a Design Quality module to monitor data and build quality, ensuring consistency across design execution.
With two domestic hubs operating in parallel — Hangzhou × Shanghai — Leapmotor aims to improve overall product development efficiency.
Leapmotor defines its core design philosophy as “Tech-Natural Aesthetics,” which has entered its 2.0 phase.
Several models — including the C10, B10 and B01 — have received international design recognition such as the French Design Award, MUSE Award (US), and IDEA (US).
Strategically, Leapmotor is extending its global design ecosystem. Building on its current structure, the company plans to establish an innovation center in Europe to further expand its network and continue research on localized design preferences and trends.
As overseas expansion, design system scaling and product realignment progress simultaneously, Leapmotor is seeking differentiated competitiveness in an increasingly price-driven EV market, particularly within younger demographics and the budget pure-electric segment.
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