The Leapmotor B05 electric hatchback, landing in Australia later this year, is 'totally different' to drive compared to its Chinese version.
Electric Cars
The Leapmotor B05 fully electric hatch is confirmed for launch in Australia, and the brand says it has gone further than usual in re-tuning the car for international roads.
Leapmotor International’s global head of brand strategy, product and marketing Francesco Giacalone said the Australian version of the B05 could receive even further modifications if the business case stacks up. “We have, after some assessment done in November, we have, lowered the hook point of [the] suspension arms on the rear, so lowering a bit the centre of gravity, the car has totally changed behaviour. So if you drive a BO5 European versus BO5 for China [they are] totally different.”
Overseas models of the B05 are available with either a 56.2kWh or 67.1kWh battery with corresponding range increases, for buyers to pick from. The regular B05 is rated for 515km or 605km of driving range respectively under Chinese testing conditions.
A more powerful B05 Ultra is also available overseas. However, while the regular B05 has been confirmed for Australia with an expected arrival time of later this year, the B05 Ultra is still only under consideration.
Giacalone said a uniquely tuned version of the B05 could be sold in Australia if there is a business justification.
"It depends on if the Australian team is satisfied with the same type of to North Europe..." Giacalone said.
"Then of course to justify a unique version for Australia, where you change the important things like the rear strut, there should be a business case behind the volumes that justify this, this approach."
Giacalone shared more details about Leapmotor's re-tuning process for international vehicles when speaking about the Leapmotor B03X, a small electric SUV that is under consideration, but not confirmed, for Australia.
"Beginning of March we got the BO3X European version, they sent the car for testing in Europe for several tests, and three sets of different suspensions that we have tested [and] interchanged in the car," Giacalone said.
"And finally selected with Stellantis engineering in Europe, [and the] quality team in Europe…[to align with] what best fits European taste."
Chinese car brands re-tuning their vehicles' suspension to be unique for the Australian market and our distinct roads is now a relatively common practice.
The distribution and re-tuning of Leapmotor vehicles for international markets is undertaken by Stellantis, the car giant behind brands such as Citroen, Peugeot, Jeep, and Maserati.
The Leapmotor brand entered the Australian market last year with the C10 SUV, followed by the B10 SUV this year. The B05 is the only other vehicle currently confirmed for the Australian market.
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Max is the News Publishing Coordinator for Drive. He enjoys creating engaging digital content, including videos, podcasts, interactive maps, and graphs. Prior to Drive, he studied at Monash University and gained experience working for various publications. He grew up playing Burnout 3: Takedown on the PS2 and was disappointed when real life car races didn’t have the same physics.
