Leapmotor to take plug-in hybrids abroad in 2027 as exports soar

The BEV-and-EREV maker is raising investment in PHEV development, with overseas launches eyed for the first half of next year as it chases a 2027 target of up to 400,000 vehicles sold abroad.

Leapmotor is ramping up spending on plug-in hybrid development and aims to put its first PHEVs on sale outside China in the first half of 2027, Cailian reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Neither the models involved nor the launch markets were disclosed.

The move would fill a gap in the company's portfolio, which currently consists only of battery-electric and extended-range vehicles. Leapmotor has already leaned on range extenders abroad — entering Argentina in August with EREV versions of its B10 and C10 SUVs — and is setting up knocked-down assembly in Indonesia with Indomobil Group. Its international sales run through Leapmotor International, a joint venture with Stellantis.

The PHEV push coincides with a steep climb in exports: 132,118 vehicles shipped in the first eight months of the year, more than four times the year-ago figure, including 18,255 in August. At an August earnings call, management lifted its 2026 overseas sales forecast to roughly 200,000 units and set a 2027 goal of 350,000 to 400,000.

Foreign demand is also underpinning Leapmotor's bid for one million deliveries this year. August global deliveries hit a record 103,129 — the second straight month above 100,000 — bringing the eight-month total to 560,883, up 70.55 percent year on year.