Video by Leah Carroll, words by Donal Byrne.
Old brand loyalties die hard, even when it comes to new electric cars. Despite the arrival of Chinese cars at competitive prices, the big names - Volkswagen, Kia, Tesla and Hyundai - dominated EV sales last year and Chinese companies accounted for about 3.5 per cent of the total.
Nevertheless, Chinese companies such as BYD, MG and, now, Leapmotor, are unlikely to be deterred, and the technological and financial resources behind them will allow them to press on with their ambition to become major players in Europe.
The strategy to achieve this is quite uniform. These companies, despite the imposition of EU tariffs, use a well-established market-building policy of offering high levels of standard equipment at keen prices.
Exactly the same strategy was used by Japanese and Korean manufacturers when they first arrived in Europe in order to become part of the mainstream offering.
Ireland was once a monochromatic land of Ford and Volkswagen cars before Toyota's arrival (it offered cars with a radio fitted as standard), and look at Toyota’s market leadership today. It took time, however, and the same, I think, will be true for these new Chinese arrivals.
The latest Chinese arrival is from Leapmotor, distributed in Ireland by the same company that imports Opel, Peugeot and Citroen, among others.
The B10 is a medium-sized SUV aimed at cars like the VW ID4, the Hyundai Kona and Skoda Elroq, but first impressions are that these three are better-looking cars and have sharper designs than the B10.
There are two versions, starting at €32,984 (inclusive of grants) for the B10 Style and €35,996 for the Design version. The Style has a 56.2 kWh battery and a claimed range of up to 361km.
The 67.1 kWh Design version has a claimed range of up to 434 km. The usual caveat about claimed ranges applies here, as real-world conditions very often return lower ranges, especially in colder weather, so we will wait to see how the B10 performs.
In line with the enhanced equipment levels being offered to attract customers, even the basic Style version gets a 1.8 metre panoramic glass roof with electric sunshade, 18" alloy wheels, a 360° parking camera system, and 17 advanced driving safety features. The Design version adds eco-leather seats, ambient lighting, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and an electric tailgate.
The interior also has a large screen, now a familiar feature of Chinese cars.
The B10 already has a full five-star rating from EuroNCAP, the European crash testing body, and Leapmotor is offering a six-year unlimited mileage guarantee.
The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
