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Chinese brand Leapmotor says it is studying a dual-cab ute to drive sales in international markets, with Australia, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil all expected to join forces in fuelling the pick-up's development.
That's the word from the Francesco Giacalone, Leapmotor's International Product, Marketing and Communication Manager, who says he has been inundated with questions about the brand's first ute.
"They are studying it, they are studying everything," he said at the international launch of the B10 electric SUV.
"Of course, there needs to be the volume of demand. Australia alone will not justify, in terms of volume, the launch of a new model. But now with some Mexican friends, some Argentinians and Brazilians, probably we will get the critical mass to have a little go."
In terms of what could power the brand's first ute, a ready-made powertrain looks good to go, with Leapmotor having already unveiled its "desert-ready 4WD", the D19, which is fitted with a potent REEV (Range Extender Electric Vehicle) system.
It combines a petrol engine (largely used to recharge the battery or directly power the electric motors) with twin electric motors, delivering AWD and a huge 400kW of power.
Also on board is a 80kWh battery, unlocking a promised all-electric driving range of up to 500kms (albeit tested against China's far-more leniant CLTC cycle).
"There are a lot of Chinese players which have already entered that full-size beast (segment), so before pretending to attack some historically present brands, we think that we need to demonstrate are at least ready to compete with the key Chinese players, and then the consumers will judge whether we are ready to be an alternative to those crazy champions (the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol )," Giacalone said of the D19.
One complicating factor is the brand doesn't appear to have a ladder-frame chassis at its disposal.
Popular off-road SUVs and utes in Australia like the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Kia Tasman and Nissan Patrol ride on ladder-frame chassis.
Instead, the D19 rides on the brand's architecture 3.5, which is a car-like platform that integrates the batteries into the chassis.
Leapmotor's success has largely been in China, with the brand's home market accounting for a massive 97 per cent of its one million sales to date. A ute would clearly be seen as a way to drive more interest in global markets.
