Stellantis-backed Chinese brand Leapmotor announced on Thursday that its upcoming D19 model sustained blowouts of both same-side tires in two different extreme winter tests on icy and snowy surfaces.
The Hangzhou-based automaker said the tire blowouts initially occurred during testing at 80 kilometers per hour on a combined ice-and-asphalt surface. The company’s upcoming flagship SUV maintained stability without losing control or deviating from its path.
A subsequent test at 120 km/h on ice and snow produced a same-side dual tire blowout, with the vehicle again showing no fishtailing or lane departure, according to Leapmotor.
Leapmotor says the SUV features stability systems engineered for dual tire blowout scenarios, along with precision low-speed maneuvering and tight-radius turning capabilities.
Leapmotor D19 Specs
Unveiled last October, the Leapmotor D19 is planned to be launched and start deliveries in April.
The new SUV model will be available in both battery-electric (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions, with six- and seven-seat configurations.
The fully electric variant is built in a 1,000V electric architecture, delivering a combined output of 540 kW.
Equipped with a 115 kWh battery, the version can reach a CLTC-rated range of up to 720 km – equivalent to 447 miles.
On the other hand, the extended-range variant features an all-wheel-drive (AWD) system and a combined system output of 400 kW, supporting 800V fast charging.
Using CTC battery technology – 80.3 kWh –, it provides a fully electric maximum driving range of 500 km (311 miles).
Both versions are built on the advanced LEAP 4.0 platform and feature dual Qualcomm 8797 chips, which offer 1,280 TOPS of computing power.
Equipped with a three-motor vector control system, the D19 model is able to reach from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds.
Although Leapmotor has not provided specific prices for the D19, the media outlet Electrive reported last October an earlier pricing target of 300,000 yuan, or $43,100.
Leapmotor Performance
Last year, Leapmotor sold a total of 596,555 vehicles worldwide. The figures more than doubled (103%) for the Stellantis-backed company.
With 201,039 units delivered in the last quarter of 2025, the brand saw a rise of 66% compared to the same period in the previous year.
Leapmotor ranked first among Chinese new-energy vehicle (NEV) start-up brands last year.
Last month, China – the world’s largest EV market – saw BEV sales decline almost 10% sequentially, whereas EREV registrations increased both year-on-year and month-on-month.
Throughout 2025, Leapmotor launched several new fully electric models, including the B10 compact family SUV in September, the B01 sedan in July, and the Lafa5 sports coupé – marketed as B05 in international markets – in November.
The company also introduced the LEAP 3.5 technology platform last September.
Earlier this month, Leapmotor unveiled for the first time in Europe the B03X – named A10 in China – and the B05 sports coupé, at the Brussels Auto Show.
After entering the European market in September 2024, Leapmotor expanded to the UK in early 2025 and also to South America and Africa, growing its total of global retailers to more than 1,700.
The Chinese brand’s sales target for this year is one million vehicles, aiming to reach four million vehicles sold annually in the next ten years,
