Leapmotor B05: VW Golf rival to be revealed at Munich show

Leapmotor will uncover the B05 hatchback, an electrical rival to the Volkswagen Golf, astatine the Munich centrifugal amusement adjacent month.

The caller exemplary is 1 of 3 cars – the others being different hatchback and a tiny SUV – that volition get wrong the adjacent 2 years arsenic Leapmotor grows its planetary line-up.

Confirmed to Autocar by the Stellantis-backed Chinese firm, the B05 volition beryllium a compact narration of the B01 saloon that was revealed earlier this year.

Its accomplishment volition springiness Leapmotor a footing successful the hotly contested electrical hatchback segment, which is dominated by the likes of the Volkswagen ID 3, Cupra Born and MG 4 EV.

Not agelong earlier then, the steadfast volition motorboat the B10, a crossover to rival the likes of the Ford Explorer and Peugeot e-3008.

In Europe, Leapmotor currently sells the T03 metropolis car and C10 mid-size SUV.

The B05 and C10 volition thrust connected the aforesaid level (dubbed Leap 3.5) and are expected to connection the aforesaid claimed 650km (404-mile) range. 

There's nary connection connected pricing yet, but Leapmotor's absorption connected offering precocious levels of exertion and instrumentality astatine an accessible terms – summarised by its slogan 'Excellence wrong reach' – means the B05 is apt to travel successful astatine sub-£30,000.

Earlier this year, Leapmotor revealed that it plans to person a six-car line-up successful the UK by 2027.

It remains unclear if Leapmotor will connection immoderate of them with the range-extender powertrain that it has conscionable introduced to the C10, with bosses suggesting they volition beryllium gauging marketplace absorption to the technology.

The B05 is apt to stock its siblings' main plan cues, including wraparound airy bars, sporting-inspired instrumentality designs and an aerodynamically optimised silhouette.

Inside, it's acceptable to person the aforesaid 14.6in infotainment touchscreen and absorption connected high-quality materials.  

Those attributes volition besides beryllium carried implicit to a forthcoming entry-level crossover to beryllium beneath the B10 arsenic a rival to the Renault 4 and Jeep Avenger, dubbed the A10.

That car volition past spawn its ain low-riding hatchback sibling, called the A05. This entry-level model, which could beryllium priced beneath £20,000, volition spell up against the Fiat Grande Panda, Citroën ë-C3 and Skoda Epiq. 

Leapmotor's range expansion comes disconnected the backmost of accelerated maturation for the 10-year-old brand, some successful its Chinese location marketplace and internationally.

It present has astir 1500 retail sites worldwide and was the 11th astir fashionable EV marque globally past year.

It aims to determination up to ninth this year, past to seventh successful 2026, ultimately aiming to go 1 of the world's 5 apical EV brands.