- The Leapmotor C10 is expected to go on sale in select European markets by September.
- In China, the C10 starts at roughly $17,800.
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Stellantis holds a 21% stake in Leapmotor.
Stellantis has plans to electrify its whole lineup by 2030, and with so many brands, it's got a lot of ground to cover. But like most other big automotive conglomerates, it has run into some pretty big headwinds. Its self-developed EV platforms aren’t quite ready, while many of its EVs are generally just gas car platforms converted to be purely electric. It’s not doing so hot in one of the most important markets in the world, China, and it needed a quick fix.
So in 2023, Stellantis purchased a 21% stake in Chinese upstart Leapmotor, creating a joint venture that will see Leapmotor’s cars in Europe. The Leapmotor C10 is a compact crossover and one of the first models to be sold in Europe. Two different English language reviews of the crossover in its home market reveal that Leapmotor could be one of Stellantis’s best investments yet.
Leapmotor is a newer EV startup, but in the realm of Chinese EV startups, it's been kind of quiet. It started selling cars in 2019, initially with a small, electric coupe called the S01. Next year, it would pivot to the small, but cheap and cheerful T03 city car; a car currently produced in Poland as well as China.
After the success of the T03, the brand has expanded to bigger vehicles. The Leapmotor C10 is a compact EV or extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) crossover about the same size as a Honda CR-V. Power comes from a single motor mounted in the back powering the rear wheels producing 231 horsepower. Battery options are either 52.9 kWh or 69.9 kWh—or 28.9 kWh for the EREV.
So far, reviews are glowing. YouTube channels Telescope (Sean Zhou) and Inside China Auto (Mark Rainford) both published video reviews this week of C10. Consistently, the two reviewers praised the C10’s level of perceived quality, high level of driving experience, and spacious interior.
Telescope had an interesting observation about the C10, though: the ride is explicitly firmer and more toned than the average Chinese EV crossover. “This car is slightly unusual…usually, Chinese clients want the cars to be more comfort-biased.”
Sean Zhou, the channel owner of Telescope said. “It was a breath of fresh air when I started driving this; it feels quite European, it’s not that soft, it doesn’t roll around,” he continued. Zhou asserts that the C10 rolls less than the Volkswagen ID.4, which is a firm car for China.
The C10 isn’t all that fast though. With only 230 horsepower at the rear axle, the C10 won’t set any speed records even if its roughly 4,000 lbs curb weight is somewhat light for an EV of this size. Rainford described it as “adequate,” while Zhou admits that it’s a 230 horsepower SUV and that even with Maserati rumored to be tuning the C10’s European variant, it won’t be a sports crossover.
Still, the two were very impressed with the C10’s quality and value. In China, the C10 starts at a stunningly cheap $17,861 (128,000 CNY). Even for China, this is a bargain; Zhou said he would have expected hard plastic, but the C10’s interior is decked out in soft-touch materials everywhere. The rear seat is large, and as Rainford demonstrates, is car-seat ready.
These accolades bode well for Stellantis. At this year’s Beijing Auto Show, I didn’t get seat time with the C10, but I did sit in the C10’s slightly larger sister SUV, the C11. Everything felt good to the touch, materials didn’t feel like they’d fall apart instantly after signing on the dotted line and the doors closed with an authoritative thunk. Of course, there’s no way for any of us to know what long-term quality of an all-new product from a brand that only recently started making cars, but initial impressions are strong.
Of course, there’s no chance that the C10’s $17,861 price will carry over to European showrooms. At the very least there will be a 20% hike due to the EU’s tariff on imported Chinese EVs, plus whatever margin that Leapmotor and Stellantis see fit to add to make the whole deal worth their time.
But it will be interesting to watch and see how the C10 (and T03) do in Europe. Stellantis sees Leapmotor as a strategic partner. Today, it’s only selling Leapmotor vehicles straight away mostly unaltered. In the future, the tie-up between Stellantis and Leapmotor could see Leapmotor’s technology used on other products in the Stellantis portfolio.
Perhaps we could see a mini Ramcharger using Leapmotor’s EREV design. Or, a full BEV Chrysler or Fiat using Leapmotor’s EV platform.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
