Leapmotor COO Xu Jun Urges Focus on Real User Needs, Not Overloaded Specs

At the 2026 Future Mobility Pioneers Conference, Xu Jun, COO of Leapmotor, stated that price is currently the top concern for consumers, and automakers may struggle to gain market acceptance if they opt out of price competition. He noted that price reductions have become a practical necessity, but for companies to achieve profitability, they must effectively control costs while meeting user demands. Xu highlighted the industry trend of "specification wars," citing examples such as increasing vehicle range from 700 km to 1,000 km—a change barely noticeable to users yet significantly raising costs—or boosting computing power from 30 TOPS to 1,000 TOPS, where real-world user experience improvements fall far short of the parameter increase. Drawing a parallel with smartphones, he pointed out that roughly 50% of their features are rarely used by consumers, indicating that products have already overshot actual user needs. He argued that automakers should avoid blindly piling on features and instead return to fundamentals by offering mobility solutions that are “more, faster, better, and cheaper.” Regarding Leapmotor’s second-brand strategy, Xu declined to disclose specific details, saying it is not yet the right time for an announcement. Previously, Li Tengfei, Vice President of Leapmotor, confirmed during the company’s earnings call on May 15 that plans for a second brand are indeed underway, with related products expected to debut as early as late this year or early next year, and likely hitting the market in mid- to late 2025.