New Leapmotor C10 set to arrive in October, priced from £36,500
The all-electric C10 comes with 261 miles of range and brings new meaning to minimalism
Leapmotor is taking a big step into the UK market this year, and accompanying the tiny T03 city car is this, the C10. Priced at £36,500, it’s an all-electric, mid-size SUV that’ll go on sale in October ahead of first deliveries arriving in December.
At 4,739mm long, 1,900mm wide and 1,680mm tall, the C10 is a similar size to the BMW iX3, although it undercuts the German car on price. The Chinese brand’s new car is also cheaper than the Toyota bZ4X, Nissan Ariya and Skoda Enyaq, all of which are smaller than the Leapmotor.
Just like the all-electric T03 city car, the C10 will launch with a single powertrain and equipment package. The SUV’s battery is a 69.9kWh unit, which allows for 261 miles of range (tested under WLTP conditions). A maximum recharge rate hasn’t been announced, but Leapmotor says a 30 to 80 per cent top-up should take 30 minutes.
The battery pack itself is directly integrated into the C10’s chassis using Leapmotor’s ‘Cell-to-chassis’ technology. The idea is not only to improve the battery’s layout and free up interior space, but also to increase torsional rigidity. Leapmotor claims the C10’s battery has an expected lifespan of more than 372,000 miles.
The company previously said the C10 would be available in dual-motor, all-wheel-drive form, but from launch there’s just a single electric motor mounted at the back with 218bhp and 320Nm of torque. That’s enough for the C10 to go from 0 to 62mph in 7.3 seconds.
The exterior design incorporates a lot of smooth surfacing, including flush-fitting door handles and some subdued BMW iX-like wheelarches. There’s a full-width light bar at the front and another at the rear, both featuring LEDs. The car’s profile is a typical SUV shape with a slightly raised bonnet that Leapmotor says is designed to protect pedestrians.
The C10’s interior takes a leaf out of Tesla’s minimalist playbook. There are scroll buttons on the steering wheel to operate the 14.6-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch driver’s display, but aside from the window switches, that’s about it for physical buttons. The dash layout is simple, with a long, horizontal strip for the air vents, along with two cup-holders and a wireless smartphone charging pad. The gear selector is located on the steering wheel column, and above the occupants there’s an electric sunshade with a panoramic sunroof behind it.
Despite the barren-looking cabin, Leapmotor says the C10 has 26 storage compartments inside: 10 up front, 10 for rear passengers and six in the boot. The boot capacity stands at 435 litres with the rear seats up and 1,410 litres with them down.
The initial launch version of the C10 will have the “highest level of specification”, according to Leapmotor. That includes 20-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable heated front seats, dual-zone air-conditioning, a 360-degree panoramic camera, a 12-speaker sound system, powered tailgate, and a heated steering wheel.
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