Leapmotor has released new images of its upcoming Lafa 5 hatchback, a model the Chinese electric vehicle maker plans to debut at the Munich auto show on September 8.
Cao Li, vice president of Leapmotor, shared three pictures of the vehicle on Weibo on Monday, showing its side profile and rear design. The Lafa 5 features roof-mounted LiDAR and styling similar to BYD’s Seagull, one of China’s best-selling small EVs with 329,410 units sold from January to July.
Cao described the Lafa 5 as a “gift” for young buyers as the company marks its 10th anniversary. “We want to build a Dream Car for young people who refuse to settle, conform, or be ordinary!” he wrote on Weibo. He added that the vehicle is part of Leapmotor’s “global personalized strategy” and confirmed its international debut in Munich.
The Lafa 5 will place Leapmotor into the competitive small electric hatchback segment, where rivals include the Volkswagen ID.3, SAIC MG4, BYD Seagull, and Nio’s Firefly EV. The company first mentioned the model earlier in the day while announcing its August delivery figures.
Leapmotor plans to expand its lineup to four series—A, B, C, and D—covering 13 to 14 models priced between RMB 60,000 ($8,410) and RMB 300,000, founder and CEO Zhu Jiangming said last December. Its current range includes the T03, B10, B01, C01, C10, C11, and C16, with several models offered both as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and extended-range EVs (EREVs).
