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News

Leapmotor Hits New High as Global Expansion Gains Pace

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If there were any doubts about Leapmotor’s place among China’s rapidly expanding electric-vehicle brands, May’s sales figures should put them to rest.

The EV maker delivered 81,569 vehicles worldwide during the month, setting a new all-time monthly record and extending a growth streak that has become increasingly difficult to ignore. The result represents an 81 percent increase over May of last year and a 14.3 percent jump compared with April, when Leapmotor had already posted what was then its strongest month ever.

The latest milestone underscores the remarkable pace at which the company has been scaling. Through the first five months of the year, Leapmotor delivered 263,111 vehicles globally, up 51.5 percent compared with the same period a year ago. In a market where competition is intensifying and price wars continue to pressure margins, sustained growth of that magnitude stands out.

Leapmotor’s momentum has been fueled by a combination of aggressive product expansion, competitive pricing, and growing consumer demand for affordable electric vehicles. While many emerging EV manufacturers have struggled to convert early enthusiasm into consistent sales volume, Leapmotor appears to be doing exactly that.

The company’s previous monthly record of 71,387 deliveries, achieved in April, lasted just one month before being eclipsed. That rapid progression highlights the speed at which the brand is expanding both domestically and abroad.

International growth is expected to play an increasingly important role in the next phase of the company’s strategy. Later this month, Leapmotor will launch its B05 electric hatchback across 28 overseas markets, marking one of the brand’s most ambitious global rollouts to date.

The move signals more than just geographic expansion. It also reflects Leapmotor’s intention to move beyond its reputation as a maker of affordable mass-market EVs. By broadening its portfolio and targeting higher-value segments, the company aims to attract a wider range of customers while improving profitability.

For now, however, the numbers tell the story. Record deliveries, accelerating global expansion, and a growing lineup have positioned Leapmotor as one of the fastest-rising names in the electric-vehicle industry. As established automakers and newer EV startups battle for market share, Leapmotor is proving that scale—and speed—can still be a winning combination.

Whether the company can maintain this momentum throughout the remainder of the year remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Leapmotor is no longer a niche player in China’s crowded EV market. It’s becoming a global contender.

Source: Stellantis

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The $143 Million Mercedes That Rewrote Automotive History

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For decades, the crown seemed untouchable.

The Ferrari 250 GTO wasn’t merely the world’s most expensive car—it was the benchmark against which every collector car was measured. Built in tiny numbers, blessed with racing pedigree, and wrapped in one of the most beautiful bodies ever shaped by human hands, the GTO occupied a mythical place in automotive history. Yet in a single evening, a silver Mercedes-Benz quietly shattered that hierarchy.

In May 2022, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé crossed the auction block for an astonishing $143 million, instantly becoming the most expensive car ever sold. The figure wasn’t just a new record—it was a seismic shift. The previous benchmark, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, changed hands for roughly €48 million in 2018. By comparison, the Mercedes achieved nearly three times that amount.

And perhaps the most remarkable thing about the sale is that the car had never even raced.

The Ultimate Mercedes Nobody Could Buy

To understand why collectors were willing to spend nine figures on a Mercedes, you have to understand what the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé represents.

Built during the golden age of motorsport, the 300 SLR combined Formula 1-derived engineering with one of the most striking bodies ever to emerge from Stuttgart. Underneath the sleek coupe bodywork was technology directly descended from Mercedes’ dominant racing efforts of the mid-1950s. It was a machine conceived to conquer endurance racing at the highest level.

Only two examples were ever built.

That fact alone places the Uhlenhaut Coupé in a category beyond almost every collectible automobile on earth. One example features a red interior and remains fully operational. The other, trimmed in blue, resides permanently within the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

Rarity, however, is only part of the story.

The Race Car That Never Raced

The two coupés were originally intended for Mercedes’ assault on the 1956 World Sports Car Championship. But history intervened.

The cancellation of the grueling Carrera Panamericana removed one of the key events the car had been designed to contest. At the same time, Mercedes had already made the decision to withdraw from top-level sports car racing following the 1955 season.

The result was one of motorsport’s great what-ifs. A revolutionary racing machine was completed just as its reason for existing disappeared.

Rather than leave the cars gathering dust, Rudolf Uhlenhaut—Mercedes-Benz’s brilliant head of development and one of the engineering giants of the era—put one of the coupés into service as his personal company car. The image of Uhlenhaut commuting in what was effectively a road-going racing prototype has since become part of automotive folklore.

His association with the car became so strong that the model eventually adopted his name.

Who Bought the World’s Most Expensive Car?

The winning bid was placed by Swiss-based luxury car specialist Simon Kidston during the exclusive RM Sotheby’s auction held inside the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Few believed Kidston was bidding for himself.

Almost immediately, speculation centered on Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe, the British billionaire and founder of chemical giant Ineos. Ratcliffe’s estimated fortune, along with his extensive ties to Mercedes, made him a logical candidate.

The businessman owns a stake in the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 operation and previously acquired the former Smart production facility in Hambach, France. While the true ownership of the car remains surrounded by discretion, Ratcliffe’s name continues to surface whenever the sale is discussed.

Then again, when a car costs $143 million, anonymity becomes one of its most valuable options.

A Victory for Stuttgart

Beyond the staggering headline figure, the sale carried symbolic significance.

For years, Ferrari dominated the upper reaches of the collector-car market. Maranello’s greatest machines were considered the ultimate trophies, with the 250 GTO standing as the undisputed king.

The Uhlenhaut Coupé changed that narrative overnight.

Mercedes-Benz didn’t simply sell a rare automobile; it reminded the collector world that Stuttgart’s history contains machines every bit as significant, desirable, and technologically groundbreaking as anything ever produced in Italy.

Whether the record will stand forever remains impossible to predict. Wealthy collectors have a habit of making the impossible seem inevitable. But surpassing $143 million would require an automobile of extraordinary rarity, historical importance, and provenance.

Cars meeting all three criteria can be counted on one hand.

For now, the most desirable automobile on the planet wears a three-pointed star, and somewhere in the world, a collector owns a piece of automotive history that may never be matched—let alone surpassed.

Source: RM Sotheby’s; Photos: James Lipman – Hagerty

News

Mitsubishi Pajero Returns From the Dead

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After years of rumors, false starts, and wishful thinking from off-road enthusiasts, Mitsubishi has finally made it official: the Pajero is coming back.

The Japanese automaker has released the first teaser of an all-new Pajero, confirming the return of one of the most accomplished names in four-wheel-drive history. Better yet, Mitsubishi says the SUV will once again carry the Montero badge in certain markets—a detail that immediately raises the possibility of a North American comeback.

For a company that has spent the better part of the last decade leaning on the Outlander for relevance, reviving the Pajero nameplate is a statement of intent.

The new SUV won’t be a direct successor to the independent-bodied Pajero that bowed out in 2021. Instead, it rides on the same ladder-frame architecture as the Triton pickup, placing it mechanically closer to today’s Pajero Sport. Mitsubishi insists, however, that this isn’t merely a pickup-based SUV with a familiar badge attached.

According to the company, the new flagship benefits from model-specific cabin development as well as unique front and rear suspension tuning. Mitsubishi promises a blend of “outstanding off-road capability” and a “refined and comfortable ride”—the kind of language that suggests the engineers are targeting the sweet spot occupied by vehicles such as the Toyota Land Cruiser and Ford Everest.

The teaser image itself doesn’t reveal much beyond a dramatic lighting signature. T-shaped LED elements stretch outward from a prominent Mitsubishi emblem, creating a futuristic interpretation of the brand’s current design language. Interestingly, the lighting arrangement differs from a prototype Mitsubishi previewed back in January, though that discrepancy could simply reflect camouflage, trim-level variations, or ongoing development changes.

Spy photographers have already captured heavily disguised test vehicles, and those images paint a clearer picture. The proportions are unmistakably traditional SUV: upright greenhouse, squared-off bodywork, and muscular fenders wrapped around a wide stance. If Mitsubishi wanted people to compare it with the Land Cruiser, it probably couldn’t have designed a more effective silhouette.

The company describes the newcomer as a “cross-country SUV” and openly positions it as its global flagship. That places it comfortably above the unibody Outlander and signals Mitsubishi’s desire to re-establish itself in a segment where authenticity still matters.

Timing also feels deliberate. Demand for rugged body-on-frame SUVs continues to surge worldwide, with buyers increasingly gravitating toward vehicles that project genuine adventure credentials rather than crossover styling cues. Toyota has found enormous success with the reborn Land Cruiser, while competitors from Ford, Nissan, and Isuzu continue to expand their off-road portfolios.

Mitsubishi now wants back into that conversation.

And few nameplates carry the credentials to make a convincing case. First introduced in 1982, the Pajero was engineered to combine serious four-wheel-drive capability with passenger-car comfort—an ambitious formula at the time. Across four generations, the model sold more than 3.25 million units in over 170 countries and established itself as one of the most successful off-road vehicles ever built.

Its motorsport résumé is even more impressive. The Pajero dominated the Dakar Rally for decades, collecting a record 12 overall victories and cementing its reputation as one of the toughest production-based SUVs on the planet.

Whether the new generation can live up to that legacy remains to be seen. What is clear is that Mitsubishi is betting heavily on the return of one of its greatest hits.

We’ll get the full picture when the covers come off in autumn 2026. Until then, the message from Mitsubishi is unmistakable: the Pajero is back, and it intends to matter.

Source: Mitsubishi