Leapmotor C10 News

The Leapmotor C10 Long-Range electric family SUV has just been given a serious overhaul in Australia as it looks to hunt down the Geely EX5 in Australia. The 'Design' grade will continue to be priced from $49,888 (before on-road costs), sitting at the top of the standard C10 range. The C10 has undergone some big changes in Australia, including the addition of the special edition performance variant targeting Tesla Model Y.It comes after the C10 was updated in China to receive a redesigned exterior and cabin, including elements like a panoramic head-up display and 17.3-inch central touchscreen.These updates are not included as part of the model year improvements for the Design grade in Australia.A spokesperson for Leapmotor Australia confirmed this more significant update was only for the Chinese market, for the time being.The main change for the updated Australian C10 is the addition of a bigger 82kWh battery, boosting driving range to 510km, according to WLTP standards. This is a step up on the rest of the standard C10 range, with its 70kWh battery offering 425km. This is the same battery as what is found in the special edition AWD variant of the C10, starting from $53,888. It is also now able to charge at 180kW via DC fast charging, with a 30 to 80 per cent juice-up taking roughly 22 minutes, courtesy of an 800-volt platform. Its electric motor set-up has also received a tweak, with power increased to 220kW from 160kW, while torque is now at 360Nm from 320Nm. The sprint from 0 to 100km/h now only takes 6.2 seconds. The car now also rides on Yokohama sport tires to improve handling and grip, with two entry key cards coming as standard instead of one as was previously the case. Interior options now include a ‘Camel’ brown interior as well as a black colour.The C10’s main competitos is Geely’s EX5 (starting from $41,990), which has experienced a strong sales run in 2026 and was the third best-selling EV for May in Australia. The EX5 is cheaper than this updated C10, but the latter has a better driving range than Geely’s example as well as better performance. The C10 will also tackle the BYD Sealion 7 (starting from $54,990) and rivals from more traditional brands like the Kia EV5 (starting from $56,770). It continues to be available in range-extender hybrid and fully-electric set-ups.

A key affordable electric and range-extender hybrid family SUV has been given a refresh in China, and it could be headed to Australia next.The Leapmotor C10 has undergone noticeable design changes, with a generally boxier overall shape and an additional 10mm in length.There have been more changes inside the cabin.The C10 now gets a panoramic head-up display spanning the length of the dashboard.To accommodate a bigger 17.3-inch central touchscreen, there is a now a smaller 8.8-inch digital driver display now.The car has also gained more speakers for its audio system as well as heated, ventilated and massaging front seats.The C10 will continue to be available in range-extender and fully-electric set-ups, both of which are on sale in Australia.It appears there won’t be any changes to the performance of these models.The range-extender hybrid has a 1.5-litre petrol engine to charge the battery, and an electric motor producing 158kW and 320Nm.EV versions have an electric motor producing 160kW and 221Nm.It is unclear whether this update will see the car increase in price. The range-extender currently starts from $43,888 (before on-road costs), while the EV starts from $45,888.The C10 competes against the BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid and Sealion 7 EV.The brand just announced a range-extender version of the smaller B10 SUV would join its Australian lineup.The B10 range-extender was priced the same as its fully-electric sibling, so could be the same deal with the updated C10 when it gets here.Earlier this year, Leapmotor brought across a special edition high performance variant of the C10, boosting power and torque to 440kW and 760Nm.It was the first C10 to feature an all-wheel drive, but it doesn’t look like the updated base model will have the system available.The new C10 will launch in China later this month, more information from an Australian perspective likely to come later on in 2026.

Leapmotor has performed a welcome about-face on its controversial keyless entry system, with the brand to introduce physial keys on all future models.

Leapmotor has unveiled its special edition C10 Sports+ all-electric mid-size SUV, which will shake up the performance EV space. It will be priced from $53,888 (before on-road costs), which is $4000 more than the previous top-spec model. Unlike the rest of the C10 range, the car comes with all-wheel drive, while all other C10s have rear-wheel drive. The main change on this special edition C10 is the addition of a serious power upgrade, with its dual motor set-up producing 440kW and 760Nm, shifting the car from 0-100km/h in four seconds. This is substantially more power than the standard C10, which produces 160kW and 320Nm. These figures mean the C10 has a similar power output to the range-topping Tesla Model Y Performance, with a starting price of nearly $90,000. It is also cheaper than the most affordable rear-wheel drive variant of the Model Y .The car has been given a bigger 81.9kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery, offering a driving range of up to 437km, according to WLTP testing. This is only a slight improvement on the standard car (425km) due to the extra weight and increased power of the dual motor set-up. This version of the C10 is built on a new 800-volt platform, allowing for DC charging at 180kW. It can recharge from 30-80 per cent in 22 minutes. The C10 appears better value on paper compared to pricier key rivals such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV5 and Zeekr 7X.On the inside, the car has a 14.6-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch digital driver display, along with synthetic leather seats. Other interior features on the special edition C10 include a panoramic glass roof, as well as electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats. It gets some cosmetic changes as well, like ‘Sports+’ branded cabin mats, rear badging and side decals. The C10 Sports+ Special Edition will arrive in showrooms next month. 

China’s Leapmotor has rolled out another software update for its C10 battery electric (BEV) and range-extender (REEV) mid-size SUV.

Chinese carmaker Leapmotor has teased us with a hint of its sleek, small electric hatch the B05 ahead of its upcoming Munich motor show debut.

The Leapmotor C10 may be getting yet another new variant, with a high-powered all-wheel-drive version announced by parent company Stellantis.

Hybrids, specifically plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), are selling stronger than they ever have in Australia, and China’s Leapmotor is expecting to cash in on this trend with its newest model.

Despite only being a year old and launching in Australia earlier this year, Leapmotor has upgraded its C10 electric (EV) and range-extender plug-in hybrid (REEV) SUV in China.Dubbed the 2026 Leapmotor C10, it has now been priced for the Chinese market, where it starts from 122,800 RMB (A$26,500) for both the EV and REEV.For context, the Leapmotor C10 range currently opens at $43,888 before on-roads for the C10 REEV Style.This sharp Chinese pricing for the updated model means the C10 range could potentially receive a price cut in Australia to compete with other cut-price electric and plug-in hybrid SUVs like the BYD Sealion 6 PHEV, Chery Omoda E5 and Geely EX5.A Stellantis Australia spokesperson said the brand hasn’t confirmed specifications and pricing, among other further details on the 2026 Leapmotor C10 just yet.A highlight of this update is the C10 EV receives an 800V electrical architecture, up from the 400V of the pre-update model.This has allowed Leapmotor to fit a more powerful electric motor. The C10 EV is now powered by a 220kW electric motor, up from 170kW. This has reduced the 0-100km/h sprint time from 7.3 seconds to 5.9 seconds.It’s worth noting the global version of the C10 EV, which is what we get in Australia, currently is powered by a 160kW/320Nm electric motor and is claimed to be able to sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds.The 800V architecture has also helped improve charging speeds. As part of this, Leapmotor has fitted a larger 74.9kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which is up from 69.9kWh.Leapmotor claims the updated C10 EV can now travel 605km on a battery charge, according to lenient CLTC testing standards. Its battery can also be charged from 30 to 80 per cent in 16 minutes.Despite all the changes to the C10 EV, the C10 REEV’s powertrain remains unchanged. It retains its 158kW electric motor and 28.4kWh battery, with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine acting as a generator for the battery.Other highlight changes for the 2026 Leapmotor C10 range, as reported by Car News China, include a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P processor for the multimedia system, a new purple exterior paint colour, powered door handles and a 50W wireless charger.At this stage it appears this update doesn’t include Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.As previously reported, the Leapmotor C10’s architecture isn’t currently compatible with this popular technology and it cannot be retrofitted.However, Leapmotor is aware that Apple CarPlay and Android are important to Australian buyers.The reason it was omitted is because its founder Zhu Jiangming had an ambition to model Tesla, which notably also doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.Leapmotor has confirmed, however, its forthcoming B10 small SUV is being marketed as a “globally developed” model and will carry the technology thanks to its newer architecture.According to the brand, it’s working on an alternative wireless solution for the C10 to be rolled out in the second half of 2025 through an over-the-air update that will allow for screen-mirroring functionality, although he didn’t go into detail on how this technology would look.

Will the Geely Starship 7 be the brand’s second model for Australia? Essentially a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version of the company’s EX5 EV released in the beginning of this year, the five-seater mid-sized SUV could arrive before the end of 2025, opening up the brand to a much wider audience. If given the green light, it would directly target the popular BYD Sealion 6 and Mitsubishi