Following the announcement of their entry to the Malaysia EV market with Leapmotor, Stellantis Malaysia enticed Malaysian EV buyers with the recently unveiled Leapmotor C10 at Malaysia Autoshow 2024.
Leapmotor is best known for producing affordable EVs in the domestic Chinese market. Stellantis earlier acquired a 20% stake in Leapmotor in a €1.5 billion deal, leading to the formation of Leapmotor International (LMI) which is owned 51:49 between Stellantis and Leapmotor. This new entity aims to bring Leapmotor’s cutting-edge technology and design to the global stage, with the Malaysian market being one of its first forays.
Leapmotor positions itself as an EV maker that develops everything in-house, from electric powertrains to the software that powers their vehicles. This holistic approach ensures better control in every aspect of production and adapts to market demands more effectively.
At the Malaysia Autoshow, Stellantis Malaysia showcased the recently unveiled Leapmotor C10. Powered by a 170 kW and 320 Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor, the particular unit on display is the pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) version. The BEV Leapmotor C10 is able to do 0-100 km/h in just 7.29 seconds. A Range Extender (EREV) version is also available, albeit not on display at Malaysia Autoshow 2024.
The EREV version comes with a 95 hp (metric) 1.5L H15R engine and a 28.4 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack. This configuration provides a 210 km pure electric range (CLTC) and a comprehensive range of up to 1,190 km (CLTC), it’s capable of a top speed of 170 km/h and an acceleration time of 0-100 km/h in 7.68 seconds, slightly slower than its BEV counterpart.
Taking inspiration from several premium cars on the outside, the LeapMotor C10 blends features like a continuous taillight, continuous headlight, and flush door handles into one compact SUV. Inside it adopts two separate holders for the head unit and the digital instrument cluster. Featuring a brown cabin, the Leapmotor C10 also has ambient lighting integrated into the dashboard and the door panels. It also has a two-stage setup for the centre console.
The introduction of the Leapmotor C10 adds another contender to Malaysia’s increasingly competitive EV market. It will be interesting to see how Leapmotor International prices their products to carve a niche for themselves.
GALLERY
