With R & D expenses less than half of XPeng and Li Auto, it's difficult for Leapmotor to play in the high - end market.

Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Leapmotor, has always said that he wants to create the "Uniqlo of the automotive industry," enabling users to buy cars with higher configurations at lower prices. The D19 represents Leapmotor's all - out effort to compete with luxury brands.

On the evening of October 16th, at the Shanghai Pufa Art Museum, Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Leapmotor, stood in the spotlight and launched the brand's flagship D platform and the first model based on it, the D19. The debut of this full - size technological luxury flagship SUV marks Leapmotor's official foray into the high - end market.

That night, Fei Xiang, the brand ambassador for Leapmotor's D series, also made an appearance and joined Zhu Jiangming in unveiling the new car.

The D19 is equipped with six industry - first technologies and offers both extended - range and pure - electric powertrains. Positioned as a 300,000 - yuan - class flagship SUV, it means it will directly compete with brands like Huawei AITO and Li Auto.

01 Flagship Dimensions, Stunning Parameters

In the past, offering low - priced cars with high configurations has always been Leapmotor's forte. Even the new high - end flagship doesn't compromise on this strategy.

With a body length of over 5.2 meters, a width of nearly 2 meters, and a wheelbase of over 3.1 meters, the Leapmotor D19 immediately exudes the aura of a full - size SUV. It comes in five color options: Pine Valley Green, Photoelectric White, Liquid Silver, Sky Gray, and Metallic Black.

The exterior details are also comprehensive: It features a through - type daytime running light, a flush - mounted side window with an additional investment of 20 million yuan for a zero - step design. The rear of the car is equipped with an ISD intelligent interactive light curtain composed of 11,025 LED light points, creating a star - encircling effect.

In addition, the pure - electric version of the D19 has a large - opening front trunk, following the strategy of the LeDao L90.

According to the on - site introduction, built on Leapmotor's flagship D platform, the D19 reconstructs the flagship experience with six top - level technologies. In terms of the flagship extended - range system, it is equipped with an 80.3 kWh large - capacity CATL battery and features the first - ever extended - range CTC battery technology. Combined with 800V high - voltage fast charging, it achieves a CLTC pure - electric range of over 500 kilometers. This range allows electricity to become the primary means of travel, with gasoline serving as a reliable backup. However, the fuel tank for this configuration is inevitably much smaller than that of similar hybrids, with a capacity of only 40L.

In terms of the flagship 1000 - volt pure - electric version, the Leapmotor D19 is equipped with the latest 115 kWh CATL hybrid battery cells, offering a CLTC range of over 700 kilometers. The full - stack 1000 - volt high - voltage system supports charging for 15 minutes to replenish over 350 kilometers of range.

What's most eye - catching is the intelligent driving configuration. The Leapmotor D19 is the first in the industry to feature dual Qualcomm 8797 chips, with a computing power of up to 1280 TOPS, enabling an end - side large - model intelligent cockpit and VLA assisted - driving functions. This configuration clearly makes up for previous shortcomings and gives it the ability to compete with leading players in intelligent driving such as Huawei.

02 The Uniqlo of the Automotive Industry, Going All Out This Time

Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Leapmotor, has always said that he wants to create the "Uniqlo of the automotive industry," enabling users to buy cars with higher configurations at lower prices.

The foundation for setting competitive prices lies in self - research capabilities.

According to Leapmotor's own introduction, this launch is a disruptive move based on Leapmotor's ten - year technological accumulation. That is to say, most of the key components such as the three - electric system and the CTC chassis are developed by Leapmotor itself, with the self - research rate of the three - electric system exceeding 80%.

At the press conference, Zhu Jiangming directly showed off Leapmotor's achievements: It has ranked first among new car - making forces in monthly deliveries for seven consecutive months and first in the number of registered vehicles for 13 consecutive weeks; in the past two months, its delivery volume has exceeded that of most domestic joint - venture car companies (including fuel - powered vehicles). Currently, only three foreign car companies, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Tesla, have higher monthly sales than Leapmotor; in the first nine months, Leapmotor's global new - energy vehicle deliveries were nearly 400,000, ranking seventh among all global car companies in terms of sales, and this figure is still expected to continue rising.

He also specifically emphasized that Leapmotor's popularity does not rely on low prices but stems from the high cost - performance, excellent quality, and unexpected design and texture of its products. With the same budget, users can get higher - configured cars from Leapmotor. The core competitiveness lies in the product's strong capabilities and good user reviews.

As a technology - based company, in addition to the manufacturing sector, R & D personnel account for 80% of the total employees in the company. Core components that account for 65% of the vehicle cost are all self - developed and manufactured. It is one of the few global enterprises with the ability to self - develop and manufacture new - energy vehicles and most of their core components.

This systematic ability allows Leapmotor's core technologies to be quickly implemented. For example, two models in the C series this year have been quickly upgraded to 800 - volt silicon carbide high - voltage fast charging, a 3.5 electronic and electrical architecture, and a more advanced One - Box braking system. The R & D investment and implementation speed of the high - level assisted - driving system based on the 8650 chip are very prominent.

The first - half financial report for 2025 shows that Leapmotor not only achieved a positive net profit for the first time in a half - year period but also had a gross profit margin of 14.1%. With nearly 30 billion yuan in hand, it has a say in cost control.

He is also quite confident that as the first model on the D platform, the D19 can meet users' ultimate needs for range, intelligent driving control, safety, and comfort all at once. It is far more than just a new car; it is the flagship result of Leapmotor's ten - year accumulation of comprehensive resources and technologies.

03 Facing High - End Competition, Challenges in Intelligence Remain

This press conference is of great significance to Leapmotor. On the one hand, it marks that Leapmotor has officially transformed its ten - year self - research and manufacturing capabilities and core technologies into high - end tangible products, filling the gap in the brand's full - size high - end vehicle segment and breaking the previous single label of cost - performance.

On the other hand, it also means that Leapmotor is no longer hiding and is officially declaring war on brands like Huawei and Li Auto.

In the past, Zhu Jiangming revealed at a technology cooperation press conference that Leapmotor first launched the C series priced between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan because this price range is relatively easier to promote compared to luxury cars, while also representing the brand's certain technological capabilities.

However, in the long run, there have often been voices in the industry saying that sticking to the mid - and low - end market makes it difficult to maintain long - term growth. The nickname "Half - price Li Auto" is both a selling point and a shackle. Therefore, moving towards the high - end market is almost an inevitable path for Leapmotor.

Moreover, competitors are constantly lowering their prices. For example, the AITO H5, which breaks through the 200,000 - yuan price threshold that AITO has long adhered to, comes with the cheapest Huawei intelligent driving system, directly hitting Leapmotor's weak point. Leapmotor, which used to be known for "low - price and high - volume," is gradually losing its price advantage.

Rather than having its market share snatched in the future, Leapmotor has chosen to take the initiative to move upmarket now.

However, as mentioned earlier, in terms of competition, the D19 also faces significant pressure. It will directly compete with the Huawei AITO M8/M9, and the LeDao L90 has also performed well recently, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 in September.

It will also take time for users to accept a 300,000 - yuan Leapmotor and to establish a perception of high - end, luxury, and reliability. This is not something that can be achieved overnight.

Meanwhile, the core of competition in the high - end new - energy vehicle market has extended to intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits. Although the Leapmotor D19 is supported by dual Qualcomm 8797 chips, whether the software collaboration and algorithm capabilities can keep up after the hardware is in place will determine whether its actual experience can truly compete with first - tier players such as Huawei, XPeng, and Li Auto.

According to the financial reports of each company, in the first half of 2025, XPeng Motors' R & D expenses reached 4.19 billion yuan, focusing on intelligent driving and the electronic and electrical architecture, with 70% invested in intelligent driving and electrification upgrades; Li Auto's R & D expenses in the first half also reached 5.3 billion yuan, mainly invested in intelligent cockpits and intelligent driving; while Leapmotor's R & D expenses in the first half were only 1.89 billion yuan, less than half of the former two.

The high - end market competition has long become a battle of technology and intelligence. As a latecomer, the Leapmotor D19 needs to make more efforts to prove itself in order to compete for market share from the strong players.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Phoenix Tech", author: Wang Peiwei, editor: Dong Yuqing. Republished by 36Kr with permission.