News

Leapmotor’s EV Sales Surge 80.72%

Leapmotor has continued its remarkable sales momentum, delivering a record 103,129 vehicles worldwide in August 2026. The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer surpassed the 100,000-unit monthly delivery milestone for the second consecutive month, marking its fifth straight month of record-breaking deliveries.

August deliveries represented an impressive 80.72 percent increase compared with the same month last year, highlighting the rapid expansion of Leapmotor’s customer base and the growing demand for its electric and new-energy vehicles across global markets.

The latest results also place Leapmotor among the world’s Top 4 passenger new-energy vehicle brands and the Top 3 Chinese brands, further strengthening its position in an increasingly competitive global EV market.

Leapmotor Breaks the 100,000-Unit Barrier Again

Leapmotor’s August performance follows a historic July, when the company delivered 101,267 vehicles worldwide. That achievement made Leapmotor the first Chinese new-energy vehicle startup to surpass 100,000 monthly vehicle deliveries.

Rather than proving to be a one-month anomaly, the August results show that Leapmotor has been able to maintain that extraordinary sales pace.

Delivering more than 100,000 vehicles in two consecutive months represents a significant milestone for a company that began selling vehicles only in 2020. The latest figures suggest that Leapmotor is rapidly transitioning from a relatively young Chinese EV startup into a major player in the global new-energy vehicle industry.

The company has now achieved five consecutive months of record deliveries, providing further evidence of accelerating demand for its vehicle lineup.

560,883 Vehicles Delivered in the First Eight Months of 2026

Leapmotor’s strong August results have also pushed its year-to-date sales to a new high.

Between January and August 2026, Leapmotor delivered 560,883 vehicles globally. That represents a 70.55 percent increase compared with the same period in 2025.

The figure keeps Leapmotor firmly positioned as the leading Chinese new-energy vehicle startup based on cumulative deliveries during the year.

The company’s performance is particularly notable given the increasingly crowded EV market, where Chinese manufacturers are competing not only against established domestic brands but also against major international automakers.

Leapmotor’s ability to maintain more than 70 percent year-over-year growth during the first eight months of 2026 demonstrates the strength of its current product strategy and the increasing recognition of the brand among consumers.

Leapmotor Passes 1.75 Million Global Deliveries

The company’s longer-term growth is equally striking.

Since vehicle sales began in 2020, Leapmotor has now delivered 1,759,320 vehicles worldwide. The company passed the 1.5 million cumulative delivery milestone earlier in 2026 and has added more than 250,000 vehicles to its global customer base in just a few months.

That pace of expansion illustrates how quickly Leapmotor has scaled its operations.

For a relatively young automaker, reaching nearly 1.76 million cumulative vehicle deliveries represents a major achievement and provides the company with an increasingly substantial presence in both domestic and international markets.

The latest figures also indicate that Leapmotor’s growth is no longer dependent solely on its home market. Its expanding international footprint is becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s global strategy.

Technology and In-House Development Drive Growth

Behind Leapmotor’s sales growth is a strategy centered on extensive in-house research, development and manufacturing.

The company continues to emphasize full-domain independent R&D, allowing it to develop and integrate key technologies across its vehicle portfolio. Leapmotor also maintains extensive in-house manufacturing capabilities, giving the company greater control over vehicle development, production and the implementation of new technologies.

That approach is increasingly important in the EV industry, where battery technology, electric powertrains, charging systems, vehicle electronics and software have become central factors in determining a manufacturer’s competitiveness.

Leapmotor’s strategy is to use this technological independence not simply as an engineering advantage, but as a direct driver of market growth.

A Major Test for Leapmotor’s Global Expansion

Leapmotor’s August 2026 delivery record comes at an important stage in the company’s development.

Breaking the 100,000-unit monthly barrier once is impressive. Doing it again the following month suggests that the company has established a substantially higher sales baseline.

The challenge now will be maintaining that momentum as Leapmotor expands further into international markets and faces increasingly intense competition from both Chinese EV manufacturers and established global automakers.

If the current trajectory continues, Leapmotor could finish 2026 with a significantly larger global customer base and an even stronger position among the world’s leading new-energy vehicle manufacturers.

Leapmotor’s EV Growth Shows No Sign of Slowing

With 103,129 vehicles delivered in August and 560,883 units sold during the first eight months of 2026, Leapmotor is entering the final part of the year from a position of considerable strength.

The company’s 80.72 percent year-over-year increase in August, combined with 70.55 percent growth for the first eight months, demonstrates the scale of its current expansion.

More importantly, the consecutive monthly records indicate that Leapmotor’s growth is being supported by sustained demand across its product portfolio rather than a single short-term sales spike.

As the global transition toward electric and new-energy vehicles accelerates, Leapmotor is positioning itself as one of China’s most rapidly expanding EV manufacturers. Its latest delivery figures suggest that the company is no longer simply chasing established automakers—it is becoming a serious global competitor in its own right.

Leapmotor August 2026 Sales: Key Figures

  • August 2026 deliveries: 103,129 vehicles
  • Year-over-year August growth: 80.72 percent
  • Consecutive months above 100,000 deliveries: 2
  • Consecutive months of record deliveries: 5
  • January-August 2026 deliveries: 560,883 vehicles
  • Year-over-year growth in the first eight months: 70.55 percent
  • Cumulative deliveries since 2020: 1,759,320 vehicles
  • July 2026 deliveries: 101,267 vehicles
  • Global ranking: Top 4 passenger NEV brands
  • Chinese ranking: Top 3 brands
  • Position among Chinese NEV startups: Leading startup

Source: Stellantis

Tuning

Lotus Elise VHPK Is Pure Driving Madness

The Lotus Elise S1 has long been regarded as one of the purest expressions of lightweight sports-car engineering. With a mass of roughly 700 kilograms, the original Elise achieved the kind of agility that modern performance cars can only dream about. Now, British specialist Analogue Automotive has taken that philosophy to an extraordinary extreme with the VHPK, a radically re-engineered, single-seat version of the Series 1 Elise.

Limited to just 35 examples worldwide, the Analogue Automotive VHPK combines a stripped-back carbon-fiber body, a centrally mounted driver’s seat and a naturally aspirated 1.9-liter Rover K-Series engine producing a claimed 253 horsepower. The result is a machine designed around one fundamental principle: remove everything that does not make the driving experience better.

The first customer-built VHPK has now been revealed, finished in the company’s distinctive PK Purple paintwork and complemented by an Alcantara-trimmed cabin and gold exhaust tips.

The Lotus Elise S1, Taken to Another Level

When the original Lotus Elise arrived, its lightweight construction immediately separated it from virtually every other sports car on the market. Rather than relying on enormous power, Lotus focused on minimizing mass, creating a car that could change direction with remarkable immediacy.

Analogue Automotive has taken that philosophy much further.

The VHPK starts with an original Series 1 Lotus Elise, which serves as the donor vehicle, before being extensively re-engineered. The car receives a full carbon-fiber body structure, a central carbon-fiber driver’s seat, lightweight forged wheels and a series of carefully engineered components intended to reduce weight without compromising the car’s essential character.

This isn’t simply a restored Elise with a more powerful engine. It is effectively a bespoke reinterpretation of the lightweight British sports car.

Why Is the Analogue Automotive VHPK Called VHPK?

The unusual VHPK name has its roots in the engine powering the car.

The original Rover K-Series engine used in the Elise was available in a particularly high-performance specification known as the Very High Performance Derivative, or VHPD. Analogue Automotive has adopted the same idea for its heavily modified K-Series powerplant.

Because the engine is now a K-Series unit, the company transformed VHPD into VHPK.

It is a suitably nerdy name for a car aimed squarely at enthusiasts who appreciate the mechanical details as much as the driving experience.

A 1.9-Liter Naturally Aspirated K-Series With 253 HP

At the heart of the VHPK is a heavily reworked Rover K-Series four-cylinder engine.

While the original engine displaced 1.8 liters, Analogue Automotive has increased capacity to 1.9 liters. The twin-cam naturally aspirated engine has been extensively redesigned using lightweight billet components and forged internal parts.

The claimed output is 253 horsepower.

That number might not sound spectacular in an era when even ordinary performance cars can produce more than 400 horsepower, but the VHPK isn’t chasing headline horsepower figures. Its entire philosophy revolves around minimizing weight.

The naturally aspirated engine is paired with a five-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip differential and a complete stainless-steel exhaust system. In other words, there is no attempt to dilute the mechanical experience with unnecessary complexity.

The driver gets a high-revving four-cylinder, a manual gearbox and a lightweight chassis.

One Seat, Right in the Middle

Perhaps the most striking feature of the VHPK is not its engine or carbon bodywork, but what is missing from the cabin: a passenger seat.

Instead, the driver sits alone in the center of the car.

The inspiration comes from Lotus Elise racing cars used in the brand’s championship during the early 2000s. The series ran as a support event alongside the British Touring Car Championship, and the race cars featured a centrally positioned single seat.

Analogue Automotive has brought that concept to the road-going VHPK.

The central seating position gives the driver a symmetrical view of the road and creates an unmistakably race-car-like atmosphere. More importantly, it reinforces the idea that this is a machine designed around the driver rather than passenger practicality.

Carbon Fiber Everywhere

Weight reduction is at the core of the VHPK project, and carbon fiber plays a major role.

The central carbon-fiber bucket seat is surrounded by carbon-fiber components, while the bodywork itself is constructed from carbon fiber. Beneath the lightweight exterior, Analogue Automotive also uses a lightweight fuel tank and a simplified wiring harness.

The result is an Elise that has been subjected to the kind of obsessive weight-saving program normally associated with competition cars.

Buyers can go even further. Analogue Automotive offers carbon-fiber wheels as an alternative to the standard lightweight forged wheels, while visible carbon body panels are also available.

Other options include electric air conditioning and a carbon-fiber hardtop, allowing customers to tailor the car depending on whether they want the ultimate lightweight road car or something with slightly more everyday usability.

Lightweight Suspension and Optional Active Dampers

The VHPK’s chassis can also be upgraded with a wide-track suspension configuration.

This package includes aluminum hubs and steering links, helping reduce unsprung mass while widening the car’s stance. Passive dampers are available for those seeking a more traditional setup, while an active damper system is also offered.

That range of choices means the VHPK can be configured for different priorities, although the basic philosophy remains unchanged: make the car as light, responsive and communicative as possible.

PK Purple Gives the First Customer Car Some Serious Personality

The first customer example provides a good indication of just how bespoke the VHPK program can become.

Finished in the luxurious PK Purple color, the car combines its distinctive exterior with an Alcantara-covered interior. Gold exhaust tips provide an additional visual contrast and give the tiny sports car an appropriately exotic appearance.

Despite its extreme engineering, the VHPK doesn’t look like a conventional track-day special. The familiar silhouette of the Lotus Elise S1 remains, but the carbon bodywork and minimalist details give it a much more serious presence.

Just 35 Analogue Automotive VHPKs Will Be Built

Analogue Automotive plans to produce only 35 examples of the VHPK.

The exclusivity comes with an equally extraordinary price. The car costs £350,000 plus tax, although that figure includes the original Series 1 Lotus Elise donor vehicle.

That makes the VHPK vastly more expensive than even the best original Elise S1 examples. Good used Series 1 Elises can be found from around £20,000, depending on specification, condition and history.

Of course, comparing the two purely on price misses the point.

The VHPK isn’t intended to be a more affordable way of buying an Elise. It is a highly limited, extensively engineered reinterpretation created for collectors and driving enthusiasts who want something that goes considerably further than the original car.

The Ultimate Lightweight Lotus Elise?

There is something wonderfully old-school about the Analogue Automotive VHPK.

At a time when performance cars are becoming increasingly powerful, electronically sophisticated and heavy, the VHPK goes in precisely the opposite direction. It takes an already lightweight Lotus Elise S1 and pushes the concept toward its logical extreme.

A naturally aspirated 1.9-liter four-cylinder produces 253 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission sends that power through a limited-slip differential. The driver sits alone in the center of the car, surrounded by carbon fiber. There are no rear seats, no unnecessary weight and no attempt to disguise the car’s mechanical nature.

It is an unapologetically focused interpretation of the Elise.

And perhaps that is exactly why the VHPK is so interesting. The original Lotus Elise was built around the famous philosophy of achieving performance by reducing weight rather than simply adding power. Analogue Automotive has taken that principle and applied it with the obsessive attention to detail expected of a modern specialist.

With only 35 examples planned and a £350,000-plus-tax starting price, the VHPK will be far beyond the reach of most enthusiasts.

But for those fortunate enough to secure one, this may be one of the closest things available to a road-legal, centrally seated, carbon-bodied lightweight race car — while retaining the essential DNA of one of Britain’s most celebrated sports cars.

Analogue Automotive VHPK: Key Specifications

  • Engine: 1.9-liter naturally aspirated Rover K-Series four-cylinder
  • Configuration: Twin-cam four-cylinder
  • Power: 253 hp claimed
  • Transmission: Five-speed manual
  • Differential: Limited-slip differential
  • Exhaust: Full stainless-steel system
  • Body: Carbon fiber
  • Driver’s seat: Central carbon-fiber bucket seat
  • Suspension: Wide-track setup available, with passive or active dampers
  • Wheels: Lightweight forged wheels; carbon-fiber wheels optional
  • Production: 35 examples
  • Price: £350,000 plus tax, including Series 1 Lotus Elise donor car

Source: Analogue Automotive

NEW CARS

Bristol Fighter Returns: V10-Powered 210-Mph GT Set for Limited Production Revival

Bristol Cars is bringing its wild V10-powered Fighter back to life, marking the first major step in the British marque’s long-awaited return to the automotive world.

Fifteen years after production ended, Bristol is set to complete the final chapter of the Fighter story by building five additional examples of its dramatic gullwing-door grand tourer. The revival comes exactly 80 years after Bristol introduced its first production car, the Bristol 400.

For enthusiasts of low-volume British performance cars, the announcement is more than a nostalgic exercise. The return of the Fighter is intended to establish a bridge between Bristol’s unconventional past and an ambitious new future that could eventually include completely new models.

The Bristol Fighter Is Coming Back

The Bristol Fighter originally arrived in 2004 as one of the most unusual high-performance GTs of its era. Instead of following the increasingly common supercar formula, Bristol created a long-distance luxury car with a huge naturally aspirated V10, understated styling and distinctive gullwing doors.

Under the hood sat an 8.0-liter V10 sourced from the Dodge Viper, giving the Fighter the kind of mechanical hardware normally associated with an American supercar rather than a hand-built British grand tourer.

In its most powerful specification, the Bristol Fighter developed as much as 600 horsepower and was capable of reaching approximately 210 mph.

Production remained extremely limited, however. Bristol continued building the Fighter in small numbers until 2011, when the company entered administration. Only around 13 examples are believed to have been registered, making the Fighter one of the rarest modern British performance cars.

Now, Bristol Cars intends to add five more.

Five More V10 Fighters Will Be Built

The revived Bristol Fighter will not be a conventional continuation model. Bristol says it has located five unfinished chassis from the original production run, with the company now working alongside an unnamed UK manufacturer to complete them to the original specification.

One of the five cars has already been completed, while the remaining four will be built for customers according to their individual requirements.

Both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive versions will be offered, allowing the final Fighters to be delivered to markets beyond the UK.

Rather unusually, the cars will be registered through the UK’s Individual Vehicle Approval process and will carry period-correct 2008 numberplates. Bristol says this reflects the year in which the cars were technically built rather than presenting them as newly engineered continuation models.

That distinction makes the project particularly intriguing.

Rather than redesigning the Fighter or modernizing its mechanical package, Bristol is effectively finishing a piece of unfinished automotive history.

A 600-HP V10 in an Era of Electrification

The Fighter’s return is particularly remarkable because of what lies beneath its bonnet.

While modern performance cars increasingly rely on turbocharging, hybridization and electrification, the Bristol remains defined by its enormous 8.0-liter naturally aspirated V10.

Borrowed from the Dodge Viper, the engine gave the original Fighter an extraordinary combination of displacement and character. In its most powerful form, it produced around 600 horsepower, helping propel the car to a claimed top speed of 210 mph.

That combination is almost impossible to imagine being created from scratch today.

The Fighter was never intended to be a mass-market sports car. Instead, Bristol positioned it as an exclusive grand tourer for buyers who valued individuality, engineering and craftsmanship over conventional automotive fashion.

That philosophy is central to the company’s revival.

The First New-Era Bristol Fighter

The first completed Fighter from the new production run will make its public debut at Salon Privé.

Finished in black with a tan interior, the car is intended to showcase what customers can expect from the final four examples.

Those remaining cars will be highly personalized, with Bristol allowing owners to specify their preferred finishes and interior configurations.

Pricing has not yet been announced. However, prospective buyers should not expect the revived Fighter to come anywhere close to its original price.

When the Bristol Fighter was new, its list price was approximately £235,000. Given the car’s rarity, the unfinished original chassis, the bespoke nature of the new builds and the extraordinary collector interest surrounding the revival, the final examples are expected to command a substantially higher figure.

Bristol Cars Begins a New Chapter

Although the Fighter is the headline act, Bristol Cars insists that the project is about much more than bringing an old model back into production.

The company describes the completion of the five remaining Fighter chassis as the first chapter of its return rather than the final destination.

Completing the original production programme gives Bristol a tangible connection to its previous identity while allowing the newly revived company to establish itself before moving toward future products.

Exactly what those future cars will look like remains unknown.

Bristol has not yet revealed a detailed product strategy, but further vehicles are understood to be under consideration. Importantly, the company could eventually introduce entirely new models rather than simply reviving historic Bristol nameplates.

That could make the Fighter more than a collector’s curiosity. It could become the foundation stone of a completely new Bristol Cars.

Bristol Promises to Remain Different

Bristol’s new leadership appears determined not to transform the company into another conventional luxury-car manufacturer.

New owner and director Paul King is overseeing the revival alongside chairman Richard Hackett, who has deep ties to Bristol’s history and customer base.

Hackett previously worked with former Bristol boss Tony Crook and also co-ran one of the world’s leading Bristol dealerships for approximately a decade.

His involvement is significant because Bristol has always occupied an unusual position within the British automotive industry.

The company never pursued mass production. Instead, it built exceptionally small numbers of distinctive cars for customers who wanted something that could not easily be compared with mainstream luxury vehicles.

Hackett says that philosophy will remain fundamental to the revived company.

“Bristol was never a mass-market manufacturer,” he said, emphasizing that the marque built exceptional cars in small numbers for customers who valued individuality, engineering and character.

The goal now is to preserve those qualities while giving Bristol a sustainable future.

What Comes After the Fighter?

The biggest question surrounding Bristol Cars is what happens once the five Fighters are finished.

For now, the company is keeping its cards close to its chest. There are no confirmed details regarding a successor, a new sports car, a luxury GT or another model line.

However, Bristol has made it clear that the Fighter project represents only the beginning.

The company’s stated ambition is to remain faithful to the “individuality, engineering integrity and craftsmanship” that historically defined Bristol while developing products capable of carrying the brand into a new era.

That could prove difficult in an automotive industry dominated by global manufacturers, increasingly complex emissions regulations and rapidly accelerating electrification.

But Bristol has never really followed the conventional path.

The Bristol Fighter Revival Could Be Exactly What the Brand Needs

The decision to complete five original Fighter chassis rather than immediately launch an all-new car is strategically clever.

It gives the revived Bristol Cars an opportunity to reconnect with existing enthusiasts and collectors while demonstrating that the company is serious about its heritage.

More importantly, it creates a physical link between the old Bristol and whatever comes next.

The Fighter was always an eccentric car. It combined an enormous American V10 with British craftsmanship, a luxury GT body and gullwing doors, creating something that could never have come from an ordinary automaker.

Now, 15 years after Bristol effectively disappeared from the new-car market, that eccentricity is returning.

The final five Bristol Fighters will be exceptionally rare from the moment they leave the factory, and their combination of an 8.0-liter V10, up to 600 horsepower, gullwing doors and approximately 210-mph performance makes them highly unusual even by modern supercar standards.

But their greatest significance may ultimately have little to do with performance.

The revived Fighter represents Bristol Cars finishing unfinished business.

And if the company’s plans succeed, it could also represent the beginning of something much bigger.

After 15 years in the wilderness, Bristol Cars is finally preparing to return—and it is doing so with a 600-hp V10 grand tourer that looks like almost nothing else on the road.

Source: Bristol Cars

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