Leapmotor is growing rapidly both in its home market and abroad, becoming the world's 11th most popular electric car manufacturer last year and aiming to surge into the top five by the end of the decade.
Key to that ambitious plan is an expanded line-up that will disrupt a number of core segments. Following the T03 city car and Tesla Model Y-rivalling C10 family SUV, Leapmotor is gearing up to enter the bustling compact crossover market with the new B10 - to be followed by a smaller crossover and a pair of hatchbacks in the next two years.
Measuring 4515mm long and 1885mm tall, the B10 is a close match size-wise for the likes of the Ford Explorer and Peugeot e-3008, but an expected starting price of around £30,000 will have it substantially undercutting them, achieving rough parity with the MG S5 EV.
That price starts to look especially attractive in the context of a cabin that's remarkably well appointed – if predictably minimalist and touchscreen-centric like its compatriot contemporaries – and agreeably plush in its high-quality fixtures and fittings. Leapmotor even claims to source its chrome trim elements from suppliers of the same level as Mercedes-Benz’s.
The 420-litre boot is slightly smaller than the Skoda Elroq’s but more than capacious enough for daily family hauling duties, and I found that a six-footer had plenty of leg room when sat behind a similarly sized front passenger.
There’s not much by way of any trick design elements that mark the B10 out from other similarly conceived EVs, save for the six-slot accessory mount on the passenger’s side to which you can affix a number of Leapmotor-supplied add-ons, including a folding desk, a phone mount, decorations and even kids' toys.
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