Leapmotor B05 2027 News

The days of China playing catch-up with the rest of the automotive world are over.  Some of the oldest brands in the car industry are now able to learn from Chinese brands, as they look to become more competitive on price and with the latest generation of electric vehicles. One of the companies at the centre of this new dynamic is Stellantis, the multinational group that combines Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen, Maserati, Jeep, Opel and more under the one umbrella. Since 2023, Stellantis has had a stake in Chinese brand Leapmotor and has begun selling its vehicles in global markets - including Australia. The initial offering, the C10 SUV, was met with less-than-glowing reviews and since then the two sides of the joint-venture have begun to work more closely together. Stellantis is teaching Leapmotor how to build cars more appealing to European and Australian customers, but Leapmotor is also able to teach its own lessons, too. That’s according to Francesco Giacalone, Leapmotor International Head of Product and Marketing, who said the information and learnings flow both ways between Europe and China. “ For what concern Leapmotor, what we are seeing is that there are, in this moment, more and more interactions in terms of vehicle customisation,” Giacalone said. “So there are Stellantis teams of chassis, dynamic performance that are constantly visiting Leapmotor to help to improve the Leapmotor products for the overseas markets. "They are as a Stellantis team acquiring experience about how Leapmotor develop the products and in concrete terms, helping Leapmotor to be more efficient and fit to the customer in overseas markets. "At the same time, they are learning component by component what can be picked from Leapmotor as let's say low-hanging fruits or a bit more complex to integrate in the Stellantis architecture.” The launch of the more European-focused B05 hatchback and the new B03X compact SUV are signs of the European and Chinese sides of the business working together to shape a more globally friendly offering.  The B05 is due to arrive in Australian showrooms before the end of 2026. Pricing has already been announced, with the all-electric hatchback set to start from $35,990 drive-away for the base car, while the long-range variant will start at $39,990 drive-away. That means it won’t be the cheapest EV on sale in its segment, the GWM Ora 5 starts at just $33,990 drive-away, but it does feature a 160kW/240Nm electric motor, rear-wheel drive layout and the tuning was largely done in Europe with the help of Stellantis - combining the best of both sides of the partnership. While Giacalone didn’t reveal exactly what cars Leapmotor has planned for the Australian market, he did hint at offering cars tailored to our tastes, and even indicated a ute is under investigation. So expect more examples of affordable, European-tuned but Chinese-built cars, like the B05 and B03X to become increasingly common in the coming years.