Officially previewed to the media last week, public previews of the Leapmotor C10 will start this weekend ahead of an expected launch in October. The Chinese electric SUV by Stellantis will be at Plaza Arkadia in Desa Parkcity on September 28-29, according to the brand’s social media posts.
The LP badge on the car stands for Ling Pao, the Chinese name for Leapmotor, and the C10 is the first model from the brand brought in by Stellantis Malaysia. It’s a big SUV – at 4,739 mm long and 1,900 mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2,825 mm, the C10 is slightly larger than a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, but without the ICE SUV’s third row of seats. In the EV space, it will compete against the BYD Atto 3 and perhaps the upcoming Proton eMas 7, price wise.
At the media preview, Stellantis showed the C10 in single-motor rear-wheel drive guise. In global markets including Australia, the motor has 218 PS (160 kW), and it takes juice from a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. There are two capacities in China (52.9 kWh and 69.9 kWh), but global markets should get the bigger pack.
Range is quoted as 420 km WLTP. Details were scant at the preview, and there was no indication of what onboard AC charger the C10 will come with (11 or 22 kW) or the max DC charging rate. The Leapmotor website states that the battery can be charged from 30 to 80% SoC in about 30 minutes.
Australia, which just announced the initial specs of the C10, will sell the SUV in two variants – Style and Design. The car we saw was the Design, which rides on 20-inch alloys (Style gets 18-inch units) and features Oeko-Tex ‘silicone leather’ seat upholstery (said to be liquid resistant and thus ‘baby-friendly’) and a powered tailgate.
Otherwise, common kit across both variants include a 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen – with satellite navigation, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity) – and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as well as a dual-zone automatic climate control system.
Standard across the board Down Under are a fixed panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade, 12-speaker sound system, heated/ventilated front seats, wireless charger, ambient lighting and an NFC card key, which has to be placed on the centre console for the EV to be started.
It was also indicated that the global version of the C10 will get a Maserati-tuned suspension. As for safety and driving assistance equipment, the C10 is equipped with seven airbags and a Level 2 ADAS suite with 16 functions (export versions don’t get the Lidar seen on domestic cars though) and a 360-degree camera. Stellantis is expecting a five-star Euro NCAP rating soon.
Stellantis Malaysia did not provide an estimated price, merely saying that the C10 will be in the price ballpark “of the most popular EVs currently in Malaysia.” If they mean the BYD Atto 3, that car’s 2024 price is RM149,800 for the now sole Extended Range variant, so Leapmotor might be trying the ‘Civic size, City price’ tactic popularised by Proton, only this time, the incumbent is a compatriot.
What do you think of the Leapmotor C10’s design and package? That logo reminds me of Linkin Park.
GALLERY: Leapmotor C10 in Malaysia
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