Leapmotor has only just launched in Australia with its battery-electric C10 mid-sized SUV, but more all-new models are set to arrive shortly and the new Chinese auto brand is not limiting what it’ll offer here in the future.
Speaking with CarExpert, Leapmotor Australia chief Andy Hoang said “for us… everything’s on the table” in terms of future products.
“Globally, we’re looking at the B segments for small SUVs and hatches,” said Mr Hoang.
In European terms, B-segment vehicles are typically light cars and SUVs like the Toyota Yaris, Peugeot 208, and Volkswagen Polo, as well as the Honda HR-V, Nissan Juke, and Volkswagen T-Cross, among others.
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B10
Globally, Leapmotor currently offers the T03 battery-electric city hatchback, as well as the B10 battery-electric small SUV. The latter will launch in Australia later in 2025.
There’s also a so-called B01 battery-electric sedan that has been spied in China, as reported by Car News China, and will reportedly be revealed in mid-2025. It’s reportedly built on the same platform as the B10.
“We’re also looking at the D [and] E [segments]… the bigger segment, the bigger cars,” said Mr Hoang.
In European terms, D- and E-segment vehicles are large and executive vehicles like the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, as well as the BMW X5, Hyundai Santa Fe, Skoda Kodiaq, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC90, among others.
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C16
The largest car Leapmotor currently offers is the battery-electric and range-extender C16, a larger three-row version of the C10 mid-sized SUV. At this stage this hasn’t been locked in for a local launch yet.
“All of those are on the table for us. And the advantage for us is that… we have a joint venture with Leapmotor.
“Stellantis and Leapmotor formed Leapmotor International, so it’s a joint venture.
“So it’s not like Leapmotor comes to us and says, ‘You guys need to take A,B,C,D’.
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C10
“It’s really about us looking at the portfolio of what’s being producing and saying, ‘Well, what do customers in Australia want?’”
Beyond the B10 small electric SUV, the only other Leapmotor model currently confirmed for local launch is the C10 REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle), which is due here in the first half of 2025.
Other vehicles Leapmotor offers globally include the mid-sized C01 sedan and C11 SUV.
Leapmotor is a young company, founded in China in 2015. It exclusively offers EVs and range-extender vehicles, the latter of which also incorporate a combustion engine but only to charge the high-voltage battery.
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T03
In October 2023, automotive conglomerate Stellantis – which owns Jeep, Ram, Peugeot, Maserati and Fiat, among others – announced it would invest €1.5 billion (A$2.5 billion) in Leapmotor, purchasing about 21 per cent of the Chinese carmaker.
It obtained a controlling 51 per cent stake in Leapmotor International, a joint venture between the two carmakers, which is now exporting vehicles to markets like Australia and Europe.
“We plan to cover 65 per cent of the Australian segments in the next three years,” Mr Hoang told CarExpert in November last year.
“[We plan to] have up to six models in the next three years.”
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C01
Here, Leapmotor has tapped both Stellantis’ existing dealer network, including Jeep outlets, plus some new partners. It currently has 12 dealerships across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory.
Mr Hoang indicated there are plans to double Leapmotor’s local dealer network by the end of 2025, bringing the brand’s retail footprint to between 20 and 30 dealers.
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