Here comes another one! China’s Leapmotor plans Aussie attack with BYD-busting prices

Target BYD! That’s the goal of little known Chinese electric car specialist Leapmotor, which could launch in Australia as soon as late 2024.

But while ambitions are laudable if not always achievable, the potential for Leapmotor in Australia will be strengthened with the backing of auto giant Stellantis and its local market knowledge.

Stellantis – which owns brands such as Jeep, RAM and Dodge – has entered into a joint-venture to export Leapmotor globally.

READ MORE: 2024 BYD Seal U confirmed for Australia: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Nissan X-Trail e-Power on notice as plug-in hybrid SUV nears
READ MORE: See ya, Tesla: Seal, Dolphin and Atto 3 lift BYD to title of Australia’s best-selling electric vehicle brand in January
READ MORE: Revealed: new Chinese EVs, but which could hit Australia?

While Europe will see the first global Leapmotor model, the C10 medium SUV, as soon as early in the third quarter of 2024, Australia is also expected to be an early target.

Late 2024 is thought to be the desired timeline for launch, but given issues such as unique Australian design rules, it could easily blow out.

The success of the BYD EV brand has acted as a spur for the Stellantis-Leapmotor joint-venture – dubbed Leapmotor International – to eye Australia high on its priority list.

The ambition – apparently – is to price lower than equivalent BYD models and sell in higher numbers.

The BYD Seal U-sized C10 will be the launch model here, but a regular stream of new Leapmotor models is expected. The next model should be the C16 seven-seat SUV, which has been spied in testing in China.

In China the C10 BEV has just been priced from 128,800-168,800 yuan ($27,000-$35,400), while a plug-in version starts slightly higher and finishes slightly lower.

The C10 BEV is powered by a single rear-mounted 170kW/320Nm e-motor fed by a choice of 52.9kWh and 69.9kWh LFP battery packs. It claims a 410km or 530km range on the CLTC test cycle.

The plug-in hybrid EREV (extended range electric vehicle) C10 adds a 1.5-litre engine, swaps to a 28.4kWh LFP battery pack and claims a 210km pure electric range.

The five-seat SUV measures up at 4739mm long, 1900mm wide and 1680mm high with a 2825mm wheelbase. It’s slightly shorter, narrower and taller than a Tesla Model Y and has a 65mm shorter wheelbase.

Work is going on behind the scenes in both China and Australia on the project. A spokesman for Leapmotor confirmed that detail would be shared around mid-year.

Stellantis Australia would only say Leapmotor is “under consideration” for Australia.

Established in 2015, Leapmotor is a publicly listed company based in Hangzhou that sold 144,155 vehicles in China in 2023. The joint-venture wants to sell 500,000 vehicles globally by 2030.

Stellantis has invested in Leapmotor to shore up its global transition to EVs. In Australia it will help bolster the local dealer group, which recently lost moribund Chrysler.

The zero/low emissions Leapmotor range will also play an important role for Stellantis in meeting the CO2 reductions targets of the Australian federal government’s NVES – or at least get closer to them.

Whenever it does arrive, Leapmotor will not only join BYD, but MG, GWM, Chery and LDV as ambitious Chinese brands in Australia.

Zeekr, Lynk & Co, Nio, Changan, Chery sub-brand Jaecoo and Geely are all expected to arrive here over the next few years.