- The Leapmotor C10 is anticipated to go on sale in choose European markets by September.
- In China, the C10 begins at roughly $17,800.
- Stellantis holds a 21% stake in Leapmotor.
Stellantis has plans to impress its entire lineup by 2030, and with so many manufacturers, it is acquired loads of floor to cowl. However like most different huge automotive conglomerates, it has run into some fairly huge headwinds. Its self-developed EV platforms aren’t fairly prepared, whereas lots of its EVs are usually simply fuel automobile platforms transformed to be purely electrical. It’s not doing so scorching in one of the crucial necessary markets on the planet, China, and it wanted a fast repair.
So in 2023, Stellantis bought a 21% stake in Chinese language upstart Leapmotor, making a three way partnership that can see Leapmotor’s automobiles in Europe. The Leapmotor C10 is a compact crossover and one of many first fashions to be offered in Europe. Two totally different English language opinions of the crossover in its residence market reveal that Leapmotor may very well be certainly one of Stellantis’s greatest investments but.
Leapmotor is a more moderen EV startup, however within the realm of Chinese language EV startups, it has been form of quiet. It began promoting automobiles in 2019, initially with a small, electrical coupe known as the S01. Subsequent yr, it could pivot to the small, however low-cost and cheerful T03 metropolis automobile; a automobile at present produced in Poland in addition to China.
After the success of the T03, the model has expanded to greater automobiles. The Leapmotor C10 is a compact EV or extended-range electrical car (EREV) crossover about the identical measurement as a Honda CR-V. Energy comes from a single motor mounted within the again powering the rear wheels producing 231 horsepower. Battery choices are both 52.9 kWh or 69.9 kWh—or 28.9 kWh for the EREV.
To this point, opinions are glowing. YouTube channels Telescope (Sean Zhou) and Inside China Auto (Mark Rainford) each printed video opinions this week of C10. Persistently, the 2 reviewers praised the C10’s degree of perceived high quality, excessive degree of driving expertise, and spacious inside.
Telescope had an attention-grabbing commentary in regards to the C10, although: the trip is explicitly firmer and extra toned than the typical Chinese language EV crossover. “This automobile is barely uncommon…normally, Chinese language shoppers need the automobiles to be extra comfort-biased.”
Sean Zhou, the channel proprietor of Telescope mentioned. “It was a breath of recent air once I began driving this; it feels fairly European, it’s not that gentle, it doesn’t roll round,” he continued. Zhou asserts that the C10 rolls lower than the Volkswagen ID.4, which is a agency automobile for China.
The C10 isn’t all that quick although. With solely 230 horsepower on the rear axle, the C10 received’t set any velocity data even when its roughly 4,000 lbs curb weight is considerably gentle for an EV of this measurement. Rainford described it as “satisfactory,” whereas Zhou admits that it’s a 230 horsepower SUV and that even with Maserati rumored to be tuning the C10’s European variant, it received’t be a sports activities crossover.
Nonetheless, the 2 have been very impressed with the C10’s high quality and worth. In China, the C10 begins at a stunningly low-cost $17,861 (128,000 CNY). Even for China, this can be a discount; Zhou mentioned he would have anticipated exhausting plastic, however the C10’s inside is decked out in soft-touch supplies all over the place. The rear seat is massive, and as Rainford demonstrates, is car-seat prepared.
These accolades bode effectively for Stellantis. At this yr’s Beijing Auto Present, I didn’t get seat time with the C10, however I did sit within the C10’s barely bigger sister SUV, the C11. All the things felt good to the contact, supplies didn’t really feel like they’d crumble immediately after signing on the dotted line and the doorways closed with an authoritative thunk. In fact, there’s no method for any of us to know what long-term high quality of an all-new product from a model that solely not too long ago began making automobiles, however preliminary impressions are sturdy.
In fact, there’s no likelihood that the C10’s $17,861 worth will carry over to European showrooms. On the very least there might be a 20% hike because of the EU’s tariff on imported Chinese language EVs, plus no matter margin that Leapmotor and Stellantis see match so as to add to make the entire deal value their time.
However will probably be attention-grabbing to look at and see how the C10 (and T03) do in Europe. Stellantis sees Leapmotor as a strategic accomplice. At this time, it’s solely promoting Leapmotor automobiles right away principally unaltered. Sooner or later, the tie-up between Stellantis and Leapmotor might see Leapmotor’s expertise used on different merchandise within the Stellantis portfolio.
Maybe we might see a mini Ramcharger utilizing Leapmotor’s EREV design. Or, a full BEV Chrysler or Fiat utilizing Leapmotor’s EV platform.
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