Not long ago, Leapmotor officially kicked off pre-sales for its all-new pure electric compact sedan, the Leapmotor B01. The new car was launched in 5 trim levels, with pre-sale prices locked in the range of 105,800 yuan to 135,800 yuan. This price makes it clear that it is aimed squarely at the "red ocean" of new energy family sedans in the 100,000-150,000 yuan class, going head-to-head with established rivals such as the BYD Qin PLUS and XPeng MONI03. How good are its chances?
Don't rush to draw conclusions just yet. Look at the Leapmotor B01's cards: a maximum pure electric range of 650 km under CLTC conditions, handling potential brought by chassis tuning with participation from international giant Stellantis, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip in the cabin that makes the system silky smooth... Placed in this price segment, these features show visibly abundant sincerity. Even more thoughtful is that, from now until the official launch, simply paying a 99 yuan small deposit through Leapmotor's official channels unlocks super-value benefits such as a 2,000 yuan deduction from the final payment and a free personalized car color. However, friends familiar with Leapmotor all know that its launch prices often carry a tradition of "surprises." You might as well guess: will the final starting price of the Leapmotor B01 give us an even bigger "wow"?
The new car has already been arriving in stores one after another, and we also went to an offline physical store for an in-store photo shoot. During the shoot, the Leapmotor B01 also brought us considerable surprises. Next, we will take everyone through the new car in detail to see just how much charm it really has.
Are online images too conservative? Seeing the real car in person is even more stunning.
After looking at the official images of the Leapmotor B01 online earlier, I already felt the car's design was quite on point. But when I saw the real car in the showroom for the first time, I had to admit: the photos were still taken conservatively! The "tech natural aesthetics" and "Tissot fluid body" proposed by Leapmotor this time are truly not just talk. The real car's lines are as smooth as a carefully polished pebble. That 17.2-degree fastback angle balances the dynamic stance a coupe should have with rear passenger headroom, making it look like an athlete ready to spring into action. Officially, the drag coefficient is as low as 0.197Cd. Whether it drives well will be discussed in a future test drive, but this styling really writes the words "low drag" all over its face. The display car was in the "Morgan Pink" color jointly developed by Leapmotor and international color authority Pantone. The real-life texture is quite delicate and unique. There are also 7 other car colors to choose from, so there is always one that can hit your aesthetic sweet spot.
A gospel for detail obsessives: the Leapmotor B01's "engineering guy romance" is hidden in these places.
Walking around the car, the Leapmotor B01's "coupe flavor" is indeed pure. Sitting inside, the "dynamic geometry" design concept creates a simple, techy atmosphere. The display car featured a "Morgan Pink" fantasy purple color scheme paired with a slender cloud gray interior, which looks quite comfortable visually. The most eye-catching part is, of course, the 14.6-inch 2.5K high-definition central control screen. Combined with the 8.8-inch full LCD instrument cluster, the display effect is clear and delicate. With the support of the Qualcomm 8295 chip, the infotainment system operates smoothly, and apps open almost instantly. On the center console ahead of the front passenger seat, there are 6 "magic expansion holes" hidden. According to the salesperson, practical accessories such as a folding table board can be flexibly installed here in the future. The idea is very thoughtful.
Surprises are often hidden in inconspicuous places:
· The trunk "hides a trick": Lift the neatly arranged trunk floor and discover that it is actually a dual-layer design! After removing the divider, the vertical space immediately becomes larger, making it more convenient to place tall potted plants or stack luggage. Below the divider there is also a hidden storage compartment, perfect for storing infrequently used small tools or private items. This kind of expandability is rare in the same class.
· A dedicated "tissue box spot" for the rear row: This little thought is so practical! Below the rear air vents, the designers specially reserved a recessed slot with a cover, sized just right to securely hold a standard box of tissues. No more worrying about tissues rolling around on the seats or being difficult to reach stuffed in the door panel. It is extremely friendly to rear passengers and can be called "good news for rhinitis sufferers."
· Atmosphere fully nailed: When night falls (or when the showroom dims the lights), the 256-color ambient lighting quietly lights up. The light is soft and can pulse with the music, directly maxing out the atmosphere inside the car.
· A bonus for touch: The seat surfaces use bamboo charcoal fiber fabric, which feels quite soft and skin-friendly, more comfortable than the faux leather or fabric used in some cars in the same class. Front seat heating is included, and the driver's seat exclusively enjoys ventilation. The rear seat backrest supports 28-degree adjustment, so you can set a more relaxed posture on long trips. It also supports 4/6 split folding to expand cargo space, and the panoramic sunroof also adds a sense of openness. Stacking these details together, the Leapmotor B01 gives a very strong sense of value. I strongly recommend everyone go to the store in person to sit in it and touch it; the experience is definitely more substantial than reading text and images.
Drive well, but more importantly drive far: power and range are hard strength.
The Leapmotor B01 adopts a rear-mounted rear-drive layout and is equipped with a 160kW high-performance oil-cooled electric drive system. The officially announced 0-100 km/h acceleration time is 6.4 seconds, which is a decent level among pure electric sedans in the same price range. Thanks to the chassis jointly tuned by Chinese and European teams and a 50:50 front-to-rear axle load distribution, in theory it can deliver a more balanced and stable handling feel. A minimum turning radius of 5.25 meters should make U-turns and weaving through small alleys in the city relatively agile. It is also equipped with stability control technology for sudden high-speed tire blowouts, adding another layer of safety.
In terms of range, the Leapmotor B01 offers two versions: CLTC 550 km and 650 km. A 650 km range capability is a relatively standout figure in the current 100,000-150,000 yuan pure electric sedan market. Charging speed also keeps up with the mainstream, with SOC from 30% to 80% taking about 18 minutes at the fastest. The heat pump air conditioning and integrated thermal management system standard across the lineup have a fairly obvious effect on optimizing range in cold weather. Officially, comprehensive range can be improved by about 10% as a result.
Intelligence is basic homework: both cabin and smart driving are addressed.
Intelligence is the core battlefield for new energy vehicles. The Leapmotor B01 is equipped with the Qualcomm SA8650 chip for smart driving and also features lidar, giving its hardware specification some appeal among models in the same price range. Its perception system has 27 sensors of various types and can enable多项 mainstream assisted driving functions such as highway navigation assist (NAP), commute route memory assist (CNAP), and parking lot memory parking. How it performs in reality remains to be verified by a later in-depth test drive.
Cabin intelligence is equally prominent, with the Qualcomm 8295P chip laying the foundation for a smooth experience. The Leapmotor OS 4.0 Plus interaction system, combined with dual AI voice large models, was tested on site, and both voice recognition speed and accuracy were good. It supports continuous conversation and "see and say," so basically anything that can be done by voice does not require hands (the salesperson even had it tell a cold joke, and its response was quite quick). The 6 "magic expansion holes" ahead of the front passenger seat also provide possibilities for future personalized function expansion.
Price speculation time: the small deposit is worth it, and the launch price may be even more worth anticipating?
With a pre-sale price of 105,800-135,800 yuan, combined with the range capability shown by the Leapmotor B01 (especially the 650 km version), smart cabin hardware (8295 chip), driving assistance hardware specification (lidar + 8650 chip), and the real car's quality, it indeed shows strong appeal in the fiercely competitive 100,000-150,000 yuan segment. Don't forget that the current 99 yuan small deposit brings benefits such as a 2,000 yuan deduction and a free personalized color, equivalent to indirectly lowering the threshold for ownership.
But Leapmotor's past pricing strategy for new cars often delivered a bigger surprise at the final launch than the pre-sale price. This time, facing strong rivals such as the BYD Qin PLUS EV and XPeng MONI03, where will the final price of the Leapmotor B01 need to be set to be competitive enough? Will it maintain the pre-sale price, or will there be another "flip the table" move? This is undoubtedly the suspense that most concerns potential buyers. What starting price do you think would truly make it irresistible? Feel free to boldly predict in the comments section!
Final notes:
Through this in-store photo shoot, the Leapmotor B01 really left a deep impression. It is not simply a product of stacked specifications. Rather, in aspects such as design aesthetics, space practicality, clever details (such as the dual-layer trunk and the rear-row dedicated tissue box spot), comfort features (ultra-soft seats, ambient lighting), and core range and intelligent hardware, it demonstrates insight into user needs and the sincerity to compete above its class. The real car's texture and detail treatment often move people more than pictures and spec sheets. If you are following pure electric sedans in the 100,000-150,000 yuan range, you might as well walk into a Leapmotor showroom and experience this aggressive new contender statically. It could very well become a strong competitor on your car-buying list. Order early to enjoy the benefits sooner, and don't forget to guess its final launch price!
