Leapmotor will reveal the B05 hatchback, an electric rival to the Volkswagen Golf, at the Munich motor show next month.
The new model is one of three cars – the others being another hatchback and a small SUV – that will arrive within the next two years as Leapmotor grows its global line-up.
Confirmed to Autocar by the Stellantis-backed Chinese firm, the B05 will be a compact relation of the B01 saloon that was revealed earlier this year.
Its arrival will give Leapmotor a footing in the hotly contested electric hatchback segment, which is dominated by the likes of the Volkswagen ID 3, Cupra Born and MG 4 EV.
Not long before then, the firm will launch the B10, a crossover to rival the likes of the Ford Explorer and Peugeot e-3008.
In Europe, Leapmotor currently sells the T03 city car and C10 mid-size SUV.
The B05 and C10 will ride on the same platform (dubbed Leap 3.5) and are expected to offer the same claimed 650km (404-mile) range.
There’s no word on pricing yet, but Leapmotor’s focus on offering high levels of technology and equipment at an accessible price – summarised by its slogan ‘Excellence within reach’ – means the B05 is likely to come in at sub-£30,000.
Earlier this year, Leapmotor revealed that it plans to have a six-car line-up in the UK by 2027.
It remains unclear if Leapmotor will offer any of them with the range-extender powertrain that it has just introduced to the C10, with bosses suggesting they will be gauging market reaction to the technology.
The B05 is likely to share its siblings’ main design cues, including wraparound light bars, sporting-inspired wheel designs and an aerodynamically optimised silhouette.
Inside, it’s set to receive the same 14.6in infotainment touchscreen and focus on high-quality materials.
Those attributes will also be carried over to a forthcoming entry-level crossover to sit beneath the B10 as a rival to the Renault 4 and Jeep Avenger, dubbed the A10.
That car will then spawn its own low-riding hatchback sibling, called the A05. This entry-level model, which could be priced below £20,000, will go up against the Fiat Grande Panda, Citroën ë-C3 and Skoda Epiq.
By
