In the spirit of SEMA week, Stellantis’ Chinese EV brand Leapmotor is getting some tuner cred from the German performance experts at Irmscher, delivering a 590 hp compact EV that should play well in both the Asian and European street scenes.
European regulators may be slapping heavier tariffs on Chinese EVs in an attempt to slow them down, but automakers like Stellantis-owned Leapmotor finding new ways to build momentum. The latest proof of that is a new, limited-edition Leapmotor i C10 SUV that was developed in and for the Chinese market, but that’s had its edge sharpened…
In the spirit of SEMA week, Stellantis’ Chinese EV brand Leapmotor is getting some tuner cred from the German performance experts at Irmscher, delivering a 590 hp compact EV that should play well in both the Asian and European street scenes.
European regulators may be slapping heavier tariffs on Chinese EVs in an attempt to slow them down, but automakers like Stellantis-owned Leapmotor finding new ways to build momentum. The latest proof of that is a new, limited-edition Leapmotor i C10 SUV that was developed in and for the Chinese market, but that’s had its edge sharpened up for European roads through a partnership with German tuner Irmscher.
It’s another clear signal that Chinese brands are ready to play the long game in Europe, and they’re doing it by appealing directly to the continent’s performance heritage and partnering with known and respected brands.
The first results of what is being called a long-term partnership is the Leapmotor i C10 by Irmscher, a limited run, 250 unit sports crossover built for the German market — and, with nearly six hundred hp on tap, the German autobahn, too!
The Irmscher version of the i C10 features a more prominent rear spoiler and a new set of five-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in low-profile, high-performance rubber, sure, but the real magic lies beneath the car’s skin.
Irmscher has fitted a firmer suspension setup specifically engineered to sharpen the SUV’s handling, making it more suited to the Leapmotor’s already potent, dual-motor AWD powertrain. That powertrain remains largely unchanged, offering a hefty 590 hp (440 kW) for a zippy 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprints in under 4 seconds.
Built to move
Sharper, Sportier i C10 EV; via Stellantis.
The electric motors get power from an 81.9 kWh li-ion battery pack, good for an estimated range of 437 km (272 miles), positioning it as a performance-oriented variant of the standard crossover rather than a long-distance tourer (and, yes, I know what “GT” stands for, I’m just choosing to ignore the baked-in irony).
Priced from €49,900 in Germany (about $57,600 US, as I type this), the Irmscher i C10 commands a €5,000 premium over the standard flagship C10, but the pricing strategy is just as calculated as the Irmscher partnership itself.
By pricing the car well into Mercedes and BMW territory, Stellantis is showing that its Chinese-developed EVs aren’t just competing on cost alone. So, while the tariffs aim to protect the European car brands in their home markets by raising their prices, Leapmotor and Irmscher are betting that European drivers will willingly pay more for a Chinese EV that delivers authentic performance.
Take a look at the photos provided, below, and let us know what you think of Leapmotor’s chances in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis; via CarScoops.
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