This is another high-profile protest at an auto show after a female owner protested at the Tesla booth during the Shanghai auto show in late April last year.
(Image credit: Auto Home)
A year ago, a female owner's protest at the Shanghai auto show kept Tesla in the spotlight for months. Now, a similar move by another female owner has hit a local Chinese electric vehicle (EV) startup.
On June 25, a lady holding a white paper with black text protested at Leapmotor's booth on the first day of the Chongqing auto show, according to a report by local media outlet Auto Home on Saturday.
The lady's move sparked many spectators, but she was quickly blocked off by security guards with black fabric.
The owner complained that her Leapmotor vehicle experienced a black screen on the day she got it and the repair process lasted half a month, according to the paper she held aloft.
Her vehicle had two important parts replaced and Leapmotor promised to let her return it but backtracked, according to the text.
Leapmotor is actively communicating with the user to resolve the matter and will offer a satisfactory answer, an insider at the company said, according to Auto Home.
The owner is asking to return the car and Leapmotor's stores are communicating and negotiating with her about a compensation plan, according to the insider.
Leapmotor was founded in 2015 and is targeting mainly the budget EV market.
It currently sells the mini car T03, the coupe model S01, and the flagship SUV model C11.
The price range for the main-selling model T03 is RMB 68,900 - 84,900 and for the C11 is RMB 159,800 - 199,800.
On May 10, Leapmotor unveiled its flagship sedan, the C01, and began accepting reservations for a price range of RMB 180,000 ($26,770) - 270,000.
The company delivered 10,069 vehicles in May, surpassing March's record high of 10,059, data released earlier this month showed.
In March, Leapmotor filed to list in Hong Kong, and its prospectus showed that the company plans to launch 1-3 new models each year over the next few years, with eight new models to be launched by the end of 2025.
It is unclear which model was involved in the female owner's protest.
The incident is the latest after a protest last year that brought Tesla into the spotlight.
On April 19 last year, at the Tesla booth at the Shanghai auto show, an owner wearing a T-shirt that could be translated as "Brake Failure" stood on top of a show car in protest, causing widespread attention.
She was then forcibly carried out by staff and detained for five days for disturbing public order. To date, her dispute with Tesla remains unresolved.
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