Leapmotor C01 is a Chinese performance EV that wants to rival Tesla
- Leapmotor C01 is exclusive to the Chinese market but has credentials to take on the mighty players of the global EV arena.
Give it a straight patch of road and the Leapmotor C01 will fire to 100 kmph in just three seconds. Now that's seriously fast and seriously fun but fun that is reserved, at least for now, for the Chinese audience only. The C01 electric vehicle (EV) from Leapmotor may not be making its way to overseas markets just yet but its ambitions of taking on global rivals like the Tesla Model S Plaid cannot be doubted.
Leapmotor brand and the company has existed only for a few years but its C01 is promising to be quite a rage courtesy 542 hp on offer. The sedan has a 90 kWh battery pack at its core and a claimed range of around 717 kms. To be made available in five variants, even the base variant claims to offer a per-charge range of around 500 kms. Reports suggest this range figure may be limited depending on variants by software tuning because the company hasn't yet revealed if there would be smaller battery packs inside the lower variants of the C01.
Inside this EV, there are three large screens - one is a driver display, the second is the main infotainment screen and the third is a passenger infotainment display. Additionally, the EV is packed with 28 sensors all around and with as many as 23 autonomous driving features.
Also check these Vehicles
Find more Cars
75 kWh
396 km
The biggest ace up its sleeves would, however, be the pricing. There are hints that the base variant of the Leapmotor C01 could start at around $26,000 in the Chinese market. The company is reportedly accepting reservations and while there is no word about production timelines, it is expected that the C01 could hit manufacturing processes before the current year draws to a close. The company already offers other models like the C11 - a mid-size electric SUV and T03 electric mini car. Deliveries of even these models haven't always been as per timelimes but the company is reportedly planning to offer C01 as a more premium option and so, could fine-tune manufacturing and delivery processes.