Leapmotor lands new advanced design boss
Who’s where: Adil Benwadih joins Leapmotor
The designer will head up advanced design at the Stellantis brand in Munich
Adil Benwadih has been appointed director of Leapmotor’s Munich-based European Advanced Design Centre.
The exterior design specialist, who brings a raft of experience from brands including Audi, Aston Martin, Lotus, DS and Citroen, leaves his most recent role at Nio, serving as exterior design director at the ONVO sub-brand. He had worked under Raul Pires, who incidentally has also just left ONVO to join Ford in China.
Benwadih told Car Design News that the prospect of future-looking design attracted him to the role. “What excited me most was the opportunity to think further ahead, and design cars that don’t just compete, but redefine expectations,” he explained.
He is also keen to push this young brand “Leapmotor into its next chapter,” describing the process as a “big challenge” but one that he would face with “big energy. [It’s] exactly where I want to be.”
His time at Nio previously came through two stints between 2016-2020 and 2023-2026 (split by a role in Frankfurt with Opel as assistant chief designer between 2020 and 2023). Looking back at his time at Nio and ONVO, he notes that he was “lucky to be part of some truly meaningful chapters” at both of those brands, “where I helped shape key vehicle programmes from early vision to production reality.
It will be a new office, but the surrounding area will be familiar as Benwadih will remain in Munich where Leapmotor’s advanced design studio is based. He began officially in January 2026 and as such is still getting his feet under the table, with a key priority of “building a strong creative team.”
Leapmotor's European models include the B10 and C10, but the brand is predominantly a Chinese market player. The brand was founded in 2015, began producing cars in 2019, and sold a 20% stake to Stellantis in 2023.
