Leapmotor, a Hong Kong-listed electric vehicle maker backed by Stellantis, has unveiled its new six-seater SUV, the C16. The C16 is available in both battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants, offering three trims, making up a total of six models with a price range of RMB 155,800–185,800 (USD 21,430–25,555).
The C16 is positioned as Leapmotor’s flagship mid- to large-sized SUV, measuring 4.915 meters long, 1.905 meters wide, and 1.77 meters tall, with a wheelbase of 2.825 meters. The EREV and BEV variants share the same dimensions, and the vehicle’s overall size is similar to the company’s other SUV, the five-seater C10.
According to Leapmotor, optimizing motor placement and vehicle structure has increased the legroom and foot space for the third row, making passenger room in the C16 comparable to a vehicle with a 2.95-meter wheelbase.
The EREV variant of the C16 is powered by a 1.5-liter engine as a range extender and a fuel tank with a capacity of 50 liters. It offers a pure electric range of 200 kilometers and a CLTC range of 1,095 kilometers when fully fueled and charged. The EREV variant also has a battery pack based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry with a capacity of 28.4 kilowatt-hours, supporting fast charging from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes. It is powered by a rear electric motor with peak power of 170 kilowatts and peak torque of 320 newton-meters, allowing it to accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 8.46 seconds.
The BEV version features a 67.7 kWh battery pack, with a CLTC range of 520 kilometers. Despite its moderate range, Leapmotor says that the pure electric C16 uses a silicon carbide-based 800V fast-charging platform, with a maximum charging power of 180 kW, allowing the battery to charge from 30% to 80% in just 15 minutes. The C16 BEV is powered by a single rear-mounted motor with a peak power of 215 kW and peak torque of 360 Nm, enabling it to accelerate from 0–100 km/h in 6.37 seconds.
Inside, the C16 offers memory and welcome functions for the driver’s seat, independent heating and ventilation for the second-row seats, and a small table behind the co-pilot seat. The vehicle also comes standard with six airbags.
The smart cockpit of the C16 is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SA8295P chip, delivering artificial intelligence computing power of up to 30 TOPS. Both the C16 EREV and C16 BEV use Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip in the highest-priced variant with 254 TOPS of computing power. Both variants come with a LiDAR sensor with 128 channels. This configuration enables both front and rear passengers to use the in-car voice assistant at any time. Passengers in all three rows can control the vehicle and seats via voice commands. Additionally, the vehicle features a 15.6-inch entertainment screen that folds down from the roof, viewable by second- and third-row passengers.
In the sub-RMB 200,000 (USD 27,510) price segment, companies like Nio and Xpeng Motors are gradually phasing out the use of LiDAR. However, the “intelligent driving” version of the C16 is equipped with Nvidia’s Orin X chip and LiDAR sensor solutions from Hesai Technology, with a total of 30 sensors throughout the vehicle. Such comprehensive configurations are rare in this price range.
Leapmotor claims that, with a total computing power of 284 TOPS, the C16 can run its “Navigation Assisted Cruise” (NAC) system in urban areas and “Navigation Assisted Pilot” (NAP) on highways and urban expressways. Currently, the latter feature is available in Shanghai, Jiaxing, and Hangzhou, with plans to expand to more cities.
Previously, Leapmotor’s strategy for intelligent driving was primarily to align with other market players. However, at a recent media communication meeting, Leapmotor founder and chairman Zhu Jiangming said that the internal strategy is evolving, with a significant increase in the importance of intelligent driving over the next 3–5 years. Leapmotor has built an in-house team of over 400 people to develop and implement technologies like BEV.
RELATED ARTICLE
The launch of the C16 fills a gap in Leapmotor’s six-seater SUV product line. However, with three SUV models—C10, C11, and C16—priced between RMB 150,000–300,000 (USD 20,630–41,260), Leapmotor aims to thoroughly penetrate this price segment and achieve monthly sales of 30,000 units. The platform-based manufacturing approach allows for up to 88% component commonality, with cost savings passed on to customers.
Looking ahead, Leapmotor plans to establish four major model series: A, B, C, and D. In 2025, they will launch three B-series models targeting the RMB 100,000–150,000 (USD 13,755–20,630) market, with high-end models featuring LiDAR and high-end AI computing chips. The D-series models will debut in 2026, focusing on the RMB 200,000 market.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Li Anqi for 36Kr.