Leapmotor postpones A05 launch to August 11 after Typhoon Dolphin hits Zhejiang
Leapmotor has put back the launch of its compact electric A05 by a day, now the evening of August 11 in Hangzhou, at 6:30 pm Beijing time, after Typhoon Dolphin struck Zhejiang province.
- 101,267
- 457,754
- 1,000,000
- 99 yuan ($15)
What Happened
Leapmotor (HKEX: 9863) has delayed the launch of its compact EV, the A05, by a day, to August 11, 6:30 pm Beijing time, in Hangzhou, following Typhoon Dolphin's arrival in Zhejiang, the province where it is based. Senior vice-president Cao Li posted the new timing on Weibo. It had originally been set for August 10.
Typhoon Dolphin makes first landfall at Yuhuan city, Zhejiang, with maximum winds of 42 meters per second.
Typhoon Dolphin makes a second landfall in Wenzhou.
Originally scheduled A05 launch event (postponed).
Rescheduled A05 launch event in Hangzhou.
The landfall led China's National Meteorological Center to raise its second red typhoon warning of 2026 on August 9, and pushed the China Meteorological Administration to lift its emergency response to the second-highest level. The storm stands out in its own right: the first ever to take shape close to the International Date Line yet still reach China at tropical-storm force or stronger, after travelling more than 6,000 km over a life of more than 15 days. It wasn't the only launch upset: the Chery-Jaguar Land Rover venture Freelander had already moved the pre-sales reveal of the Freelander 8, its debut model, from August 10 to August 14, and out of Changshu, Jiangsu.
“Safety always comes first.”
- Pre-orders began July 27 for a 99 yuan ($15) deposit plus 5,000 members-only energy points; no price was given.
- Dimensions are 4,200 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,560 mm tall, with a 2,605 mm wheelbase; classified as a sedan in China but really a compact hatchback.
- Battery choices: 39.8 kWh for 405 km CLTC and 53 kWh for 510 km CLTC.
- Standard cabin kit runs a Qualcomm 8295 chip with an 8.88-inch driver display, a 14.6-inch centre screen and a 12-speaker system with mic-free karaoke.
- Seven paint colours are on offer, along with a floating roofline, flush door handles and taillights shaped like a smiley face; LiDAR is an optional extra.
- A05 is the second car to use Leapmotor's A platform, arriving after the small A10 SUV, and it targets rivals such as BYD's Dolphin (HKEX: 1211) and Geely Auto's Xingyuan (HKEX: 0175).
Much rides on the A05 for Leapmotor. Backed by Stellantis, the automaker moved 101,267 vehicles worldwide in July — its first time clearing the 100,000 mark in a single month, and a 102.01% jump from a year earlier. Even so, the 457,754 units delivered across the first seven months of 2026 only add up to roughly 46% of the company's one-million-unit target for the year, leaving it needing north of 108,000 deliveries a month for the rest of the year to get there. The A10, the A-platform's first model, offers a point of comparison: it launched in March priced from 65,800 to 86,800 yuan and posted a June record of 26,804 units sold.
- 1,000,000 units
- 457,754 units (about 46%)
- more than 108,000 units
Why this matters
The A05 is a critical model for Leapmotor as it tries to sustain record-breaking sales momentum. The Stellantis-backed automaker delivered 101,267 vehicles in July, but its first-seven-month total of 457,754 units is only about 46% of its 2026 target of one million, so a strong A05 launch matters for hitting that goal. The one-day shift also shows how severe weather can force automakers to reschedule key events; Freelander similarly delayed its first mode…
Terms in This Story
- CLTC
- China Light-duty Vehicle Test Cycle; the official Chinese test cycle used to estimate electric vehicle range.
- LiDAR
- Light detection and ranging; a sensor technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances, commonly used for driver assistance and autonomous driving systems.
- Red typhoon alert
- The highest level in China's four-tier weather warning system, indicating a severe typhoon is imminent or already occurring.
A brief summary; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.