China’s Leapmotor has launched the brand new B01 electric sedan, a cut-price alternative to the best-selling Tesla Model 3.
Unveiled on the Shanghai motor show last week, the B01 will go on sale in China later this yr with a starting price of around ¥150,000 (A$32,230) in response to CarNewsChina, undercutting the Model 3 by 36 per cent.
Dimensionally, the B01 measures in at 4770mm long, 1880mm wide and 1490mm tall, on a 2735mm wheelbase. That makes it longer and taller than a Model 3, yet barely narrower.
The B01 can be comparable to the BYD Seal, which occupies the same position out there. Each the Seal and Model 3 are the one sub-$60k electric sedans currently available in Australia.
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The outside of the B01 shares design elements with other models within the Leapmotor range, including a rounded front-end and full-width rear light bar.
Under the skin, it stays unclear what is going to power the B01, although Leapmotor says an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.197Cd gives this sleek EV a driving range of as much as 650km.
More is thought concerning the cabin of the B01, which includes a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, 256-colour ambient lighting system, an optional panoramic roof, and 88 per cent soft-touch material coverage throughout.
Boot space measures 460 litres, which is greater than the Seal’s but lower than the Model 3’s, although Leapmotor says the B01 has an additional 70L of capability underneath the boot floor.
The B01 is anticipated to supply the identical set of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) as seen in other Leapmotor models, sourcing data from Lidar sensors as a substitute of cameras.
While parent company Stellantis has no plans to bring the B01 to Australia at the moment, the brand new model has not been ruled out for an area launch.
Leapmotor arrived Down Under last yr with the C10 mid-size electric SUV, which to date stays its only model available in Australia.
More all-new offerings are set to reach shortly and the brand new Chinese auto brand just isn’t limiting what it’ll offer here in the longer term.
“We plan to cover 65 per cent of the Australian segments in the following three years,” Leapmotor Australia chief Andy Hoang told CarExpert in November last yr.
“[We plan to] have as much as six models in the following three years.”
This Article First Appeared At www.carexpert.com.au
