Introduction:
Just 14 days ago, on January 10, 2024, the Leapmotor brand officially began pre-selling its second mid-sized SUV, the Leapmotor C10. Leapmotor claims that this car offers the highest cost-effectiveness among SUVs. So, how does this car perform in terms of its features?
A Stylish Exterior
In 2023, the Leapmotor brand achieved a cumulative sales volume of 144,155 vehicles, which is quite impressive. However, its product lineup appeared somewhat limited. This may be one of the reasons why Leapmotor decided to introduce its second mid-sized SUV, the Leapmotor C10. While the Leapmotor C10 still belongs to the C-series, it stands out with its distinctive horizontal design lines, creating a more stable appearance. The headlight group also offers 8 different digital light patterns, making it highly recognizable.
Spacious and Flexible Interior
The Leapmotor C10 is positioned as a mid-sized SUV with a body length of 4739mm, which is not particularly outstanding. However, it boasts a wheelbase of 2825mm, giving it a certain advantage compared to other vehicles in the same price range. The large size provides a spacious and flexible interior space. In the rear seats, the legroom can reach up to 1050mm, and the maximum headroom is 1015mm. The second-row seats can also be adjusted to accommodate passengers of different sizes. Apart from its spaciousness, the Leapmotor C10’s interior also offers flexibility. The front seat headrests are removable, and the backrests can recline up to 180 degrees, creating a bed over 2.7 meters long. When you go camping with family and friends, simply fold down the seats, and the Leapmotor C10 becomes a mobile home.
High-Tech Cabin
The cabin of the Leapmotor C10 appears simple and refreshing, equipped with a 10.25-inch instrument panel and a 14.6-inch 2.5K central control screen, giving it a strong sense of technology. It operates smoothly and efficiently. From these designs, it’s evident that the Leapmotor C10 has the potential to enter the mainstream market, but it needs more than that.
Cutting-Edge Technology
Companies that have established a foothold in the Chinese EV market have certain technological advantages, and Leapmotor is no exception. What sets the Leapmotor C10 apart is its adoption of the latest LEAP 3.0 technology architecture. LEAP 3.0 consists of 6 core technologies applied in areas such as electronic and electrical architecture, power systems, intelligent cabins, and intelligent driving. In the case of the Leapmotor C10, these technologies are all showcased.
Impressive Powertrain
The Leapmotor C10 Plug-in Hybrid model is equipped with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 70kW and a rear-mounted single electric motor with a maximum power of 170kW. Under CLTC conditions, it offers a pure electric range of 210km and a comprehensive range of up to 1190km. While the power parameters may not seem outstanding, the Leapmotor C10 utilizes CTC 2.0 battery chassis integration technology, paired with a new generation of efficient electric drive platforms. This ensures safer batteries, faster charging speeds, and improved reliability.
Smart Features
In terms of the intelligent cabin, the mid-to-high-end versions of the Leapmotor C10 are equipped with the high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip, while the entry-level version features the Qualcomm 8155 chip, delivering significantly enhanced computing power. With this computing power, the mid-to-high-end Leapmotor C10 can achieve 60 seconds of continuous dialogue between the vehicle and the driver, recognize dialects, and match 8 exclusive IDs and one temporary passenger. It adapts to user habits, adjusting the air conditioning, seats, music, and more.
Advanced Safety and Driving Assistance
In terms of intelligent driving, the Leapmotor C10 is equipped with the Leapmotor Pilot advanced intelligent driving assistance system, matched with the NVIDIA Orin-X driving assistance chip and 30 high-precision perception hardware components, providing users with 25 intelligent driving functions, including NAP high-speed intelligent navigation assistance and NAC navigation assistance cruise control. However, it’s important to note that the high-end intelligent driving features are only available in the top-of-the-line models, while the intelligence level of other models reaches L2, which is in line with the industry standard.
Seamless OTA Updates
Furthermore, the Leapmotor C10 adopts a four-leaf clover central integrated electronic and electrical architecture, becoming the industry’s first model with a seamless OTA update process. In simple terms, vehicle owners no longer need to wait specifically for updates. They just need to agree to the OTA upgrade, and the vehicle’s upgrade will be done in the background, completed the next time the vehicle is started. This type of system update is not uncommon in high-end smartphones but is a first in the EV automotive industry.
Model Variants and Pricing
The Leapmotor C10 offers a total of 6 models, with a clear design philosophy: 3 plug-in hybrids and 3 pure electric models. After learning about these models, you will find that they do not differ significantly in terms of basic features. The main difference lies in intelligence. The base model equips with the Qualcomm 8155 chip, while the high-end model features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip + NVIDIA Orin-X advanced driving assistance chip combination. This includes functions such as automatic lane changing, on-ramp and off-ramp automatic driving, and high-speed road automatic driving, which are only available in the high-end models. The choice depends on the user’s specific needs. If you don’t have special requirements for advanced intelligent driving assistance, the mid-range and entry-level models will suffice. However, if you want to experience the convenience and safety brought by advanced intelligent driving, you can invest an additional $5,000 to choose the high-end models.
Affordable Pricing
Like other Leapmotor models, the Leapmotor C10 follows an affordable pricing strategy. For less than $30,000, you can have both Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip and the NVIDIA Orin-X advanced driving assistance chip. In terms of appearance and interior space, the Leapmotor C10 also offers improvements. With different power systems for pure electric and plug-in hybrid models, it provides users with more high-quality options. In summary, the Leapmotor C10 has solid on-paper capabilities. Once it is officially launched, it is expected to help the Leapmotor brand achieve monthly sales of 20,000 units. However, in terms of brand building, Leapmotor still needs to put in more effort to make more users aware of them.
The Road Ahead for Leapmotor
Leapmotor C10 may help the Leapmotor brand achieve a breakthrough, but it needs to enter more niche markets. Using high-quality models to expand its product lineup is a suitable development strategy for Leapmotor. By the end of 2024, Leapmotor may achieve its target of 300,000 to 400,000 vehicles.
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