One of Australia’s least popular electric SUVs has taken the unlikely title of offering the most power per dollar of any car on sale locally, with a new Leapmotor C10 achieving the feat.
Today Leapmotor launched the C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition, due in Australia from April and with significantly better powertrain outputs than the standard rear-drive SUV.
Priced from $53,888, the new all-wheel drive variant is $4000 more than the existing rear-drive C10 Design range-topper, which produces 160kW and 320Nm from its single electric motor.
The addition of another motor on the front axle – plus an upgrade to the rear motor – has resulted in the new C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition producing 440kW and 760Nm, more than double that of its sibling despite the minimal price difference.
This means it has a value figure of $122.47 per kilowatt, making it the most powerful car for the least money currently on sale in Australia, undercutting the MG IM5 and IM6 Performance twins with their $141.03/kW figure thanks to a 553kW output.
Leapmotor claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.0 seconds for the C10 AWD, leaving the current model’s 7.5-second figure in its dust.
The brand hasn’t detailed whether it has made any upgrades to the C10’s braking or suspension systems to accommodate the extra power and torque.
It has confirmed however that the C10 AWD now rides on an 800-volt electrical architecture, replacing the existing 400-volt underpinnings.
This means its new 81.9kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack can be charged at up to 180kW and deliver up to 437km of driving range on the WLTP lab test cycle. That compares to 420km of driving range for RWD models currently powered by a 69.6kWh battery.
Visually, the C10 AWD Sports+ Special Edition stands out thanks to its new side vinyl graphics, though the standard equipment from the RWD Design variant carries over inside and out.
Last year Leapmotor sold 344 examples of the C10, making it one of the slowest-selling mid-size electric SUVs on the market.
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