Leapmotor to Europe: the Stellantis brand has these models

Leapmotor. A name that will still be unknown to many, but that should change next year. Stellantis, known for Peugeot, Citroën, Opel and Fiat, has taken a 20 percent stake in the Chinese company, which has existed since 2015. The idea is that various relatively affordable EVs are brought to European men or women under the banner of Leapmotor. According to the French/Italian/American group, the target group can be found among people who are ‘cost-conscious, but still want the best technology.’ We are still looking for people who are completely cost-conscious, but that is entirely beside the point.

As we often see with Chinese brands, Leapmotor has already created a fairly complete model range in a short time. In almost all cases, these are fully electric models, which in all cases are given a type name consisting of one letter and two numbers.

Leapmotor S01

Leapmotor S01.

There doesn’t seem to be any logic behind those numbers, the letter probably indicates a segment. At least that’s the impression we get from the S01, a small, sporty (S!) coupe that was presented in 2019 and somewhat resembles an old Honda CR-X. The Leapmotor S01 is powered by a 125 kW/170 hp electric motor, sprints from 0 to 100 in 6.9 seconds and has a driving range of 451 kilometers. At least in China: the measuring method used there is very forgiving.

Leap engine T03

Leap Engine T03.

The Leapmotor T03 is a small electric city car, presented in 2020. It has a fairly narrow and high body and a short nose. With a length of 3.62 meters, it is even shorter than a Dacia Spring. The fact that this is a real city car is evident from the top speed, which is a maximum of 100 km/h. There are different versions with different battery packs. This ranges from 21.6 to 41.3 kWh, good for a (again purely theoretical) range of 200 to 403 km.

Leap engine C11

Leap engine C11.

It was inevitable: Leapmotor also has SUVs. The first of these is the Leapmotor C11. We first saw it at the end of 2020 and it looks a lot more modern than the two models that preceded it. The somewhat anonymous, but smooth and modern-lined C11 is 4.75 meters long and therefore comparable in size to a Tesla Model Y. In principle, the C11 has rear-wheel drive, but there are also versions with two motors and four-wheel drive. Powers range from 272 hp to double that and battery packs are available with 69.2 or almost 90 kWh. The three-digit number that Leapmotor uses to tell the different versions apart has to do with the driving range according to the Chinese CLTC cycle. The C11 500 travels 502 km, the C11 580 580 km and the C11 650, you’ll never guess, 650.

Leapmotor C01

Leapmotor C01.

The Leapmotor C01 is a streamlined sedan that is clearly related to the C11. It was released in 2022 and, due to its aerodynamic body, is somewhat reminiscent of the Hyundai Ioniq 6, although it is slightly more conservative than that eccentric Korean. With a length of 5.05 meters, the C11 is somewhat longer than the Ioniq 6, which is 4.86 meters. Once again, various battery packs are available for this (in principle) rear-wheel drive EV, from 62.9 to no less than 89.9 kWh. In the low carriage, this provides an impressive range of up to 717 km CLTC. Interesting, but perhaps not so relevant for the Netherlands, is the fact that both the C11 and the C01 are also available with a combustion engine. In both cases, it functions as a range extender in combination with a somewhat smaller battery, for those who do not want to be completely dependent on charging stations.

Leapmotor C10

Leapmotor C10.

The last in the line is the Leapmotor C10, which made its debut not in China, but in Munich. There is a reason for this: apparently Leapmotor sees a market for the C10 here. Like the C11, this is an SUV, but confusingly the C10 is the larger of the two. Little is known about this seven-seater, but you can count on the fact that technology and performance are very similar to those of the five-seater C11.

Now we are very curious which Leapmotor models you like. Do you see opportunities for this brand, or do you think it will surely perish in a sea of ​​apparently similar newcomers? Say it!