- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
Leapmotor. Leap into a brighter future
Leapmotor is a young Chinese electric vehicle brand founded in 2015 and based in Hangzhou. The company’s assets include its own platform for electric vehicles, an artificial intelligence processor for autonomous vehicles with self-learning capability, its own electric motors and four fully electrified models. The name “Leapmotor” is fully justified: it’s not just a big step, but literally a leap into a better electric future. In 2022, two models of the company came to conquer Europe and, most likely, the company will not stop there.
Steps to success
Leapmotor was founded in 2015 by Chinese entrepreneur Zhu Jiangming, who spent 380 million dollars to create and launch the production process. 2 years later, in 2017, the startup presented a prototype of a small electric coupe, and 2 years later, in June 2019, it was already mass produced under the name Leapmotor S01. The coupe turned out to have a sporty character, was affordable and was distinguished by compact dimensions: the length of the body was only 4 m.
But before that, at the 2018 CES Asia, the company presented the artificial intelligence processor Lingxin 01, jointly developed by Leapmotor and Dahua Technology. The artificial intelligence is designed for autonomous vehicles and has a self-learning capability. The technology was tested in 2019 and today it is already installed as standard on the brand’s cars. In addition, the company designs and manufactures other components, including electric motors or LED lighting.
In October 2018, Leapmotor announced plans to release 3 new models before 2022, with the names LP-S01, LP-T03, and LP-C11, each based on their own platform called S, T, and C, respectively. All this has already been implemented: on May 11, 2020, the company officially launched its second production electric car, followed by the third in November. In 2021, 45,000 cars were sold, and 22,000 cars found its buyers in the first quarter of 2022. Inspired by the success, the Chinese manufacturer introduced the fourth model, the flagship C01 sedan.
In May 2020, Leapmotor and Chinese state-owned automaker FAW announced a strategic partnership, in which they joined forces to jointly develop intelligent electric vehicles: it is cheaper to conduct research, development and production together.
Model range
Leapmotor S01
The Leapmotor S01 2-door electric coupe appeared on the domestic market in June 2019. A relatively inexpensive car is compact: 4,075 mm long, 1,760 mm wide, 1,380 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,500 mm. The Heracles engine is located at the front. Its peculiarity is that the electric motor, gearbox and control electronics are located in a single unit, easy to adapt to other models. Thanks to this structure, the unit is 40% more compact and 30% lighter than traditional designs, and indeed: its mass is only 91 kg, and the car weighs 1,240 kg. The engine produces 170 hp and 250 Nm. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, while the top speed is 190 km/h. The model is front-wheel drive, while the battery capacity allows you to travel up to 360 km on a single charge.
Leapmotor Т03
The manufacturer presented a practical electric hatchback on May 11, 2020. The new Leapmotor T03 is equipped with an electric motor with 109 hp and a battery with a capacity of 41.3 kWh. It offers a driving range of 403 km (NEDC). The car is 3,620 mm long, 1,652 mm wide and 1,577 mm high. The wheelbase is 2,400mm. This richly equipped model is the brand’s first model to appear in Europe.
Leapmotor C11
In November 2020, Leapmotor officially launched its third production electric vehicle, the C11 electric SUV. The SUV is equipped with one or two identical electric motors with a total capacity of 544 hp (400 kW) and 720 Nm. The driving range depends on the version and can reach 600 km. The model is also intended for Europe, starting from France where it will in December 2022. It is specified that the SUV will also have a hybrid modification, carried out according to the principle of a sequential hybrid: the front wheels are still driven by a 272 hp electric motor, and a 1.2 liter gasoline engine (131 hp) serves as a generator to recharge the battery.
Leapmotor С01
Introduced in May 2022, the C01 sedan is expected to be Leapmotor’s flagship. The car turned out to be large, 5,050 mm long, although it was strongly unified with the C11 SUV. Both feature a single platform with dual-lever front suspension and multi-link rear suspension, as well as a built-in 90 kWh traction battery. The sedan comes with two electric motors borrowed from the SUV, which is why the sedan is all-wheel drive. Plus, both models look similar inside. Externally, the C01 is distinguished by frameless doors, 19-inch wheels and a regular panoramic roof. The sedan accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3 seconds, while the driving range is 717 km (according to the optimistic Chinese CLTC cycle), that is, the real value is 1.5 times less. But on the other hand, the Lingxin 01 processor will provide a third level autopilot.
