Chinese electric vehicle maker Leapmotor officially opened its first innovation centre outside China on Monday, March 23, inaugurating the Leapmotor Europe Innovation Centre GmbH in Munich, Germany, as the brand shifts from simply exporting products to establishing a permanent design and engineering presence in the European market.
The centre is located in the Schwabing-Freimann district of Munich and will focus on integrating European design expertise into the company’s product development process. The move marks a significant shift in the brand’s international strategy, transitioning from product exports toward building local capability in one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets.
Previously, Leapmotor’s innovation centres were located only in the Chinese cities of Hangzhou and Shanghai. Munich’s addition completes a three-city global design network for the brand.
At the opening event, Yu Shuyue, Head of Global Design at Leapmotor, presented the company’s design philosophy using the forthcoming B03X sport utility vehicle as a case study. Leapmotor described the B03X as embodying its “technological natural aesthetics 2.0” design language, intended to carry the brand’s family design identity into a new product segment targeting global markets.
In 2025, Leapmotor’s exports reached 67,052 units, ranking first among Chinese emerging electric vehicle brands. As of the end of February 2026, the Stellantis-backed automaker’s cumulative exports exceeded 100,000 units. The company reported its first full-year profit in 2025, with annual revenue surging 101.3 percent to a record 64.73 billion yuan.
Leapmotor entered the European market in late 2024 through a distribution partnership with Stellantis, which holds a 21 percent stake in the brand. Leapmotor International, the joint venture structure through which European operations are conducted, is a 51/49 partnership between Stellantis N.V. (Stellantis) and Leapmotor.
Leapmotor is not the first Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer to open an innovation centre in Munich. Nio, Xpeng, Xiaomi, and Li Auto have all previously established research and development or design centres in the city. Munich has become a favoured European base for Chinese automakers looking to absorb local engineering and design talent.
Beyond the Munich centre, Leapmotor is accelerating its European industrial footprint. In Spain, a completely knocked down assembly project for the B10 and B05 models has been officially initiated, with the B10 model expected to enter commercial production in October 2026 and the B05 scheduled for trial production in June 2026.
