Leapmotor C10 facelift revealed – more modern front design, slicker interior, China launch June 16

Two years after it was introduced in China, the Leapmotor C10 has come in for its mid-cycle facelift, with the first photos of the refreshed SUV having been released ahead of the car’s home market launch on June 16.

While the current C10 isn’t exactly the most handsome car out there, this latest model has modernised things considerably. The front end gains the split headlight design seen on the smaller B10, with “chequered” LED daytime running lights joined by a light bar and sitting above new vertical headlights. This goes hand-in-hand with the restyled bumper, featuring a greater use of body colour.

The rear end with its full-width light bar has been left well alone, but you do now get new wheel options, including handsome 20-inch double-spoke alloys that replace the previous Maserati-inspired “Trident” rollers. All in all, a pretty successful revamp in our book.

Inside, the old car’s rather featureless dashboard has been replaced by a new layered design that neatly hides the ambient lighting, paired with more ornately-decorated door cards. As with most Chinese cars these days, the centre console now houses twin smartphone holders that integrate a single Qi wireless charger, with the cupholders arranged horizontally behind them.

In terms of tech, the instrument display appears to have been slimmed down a touch, but there’s now a head-up display and a larger infotainment touchscreen. Hopefully, Leapmotor sees fit to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for global models, as this was a glaring omission on the current car. The front seats also gain built-in ottomans and a one-touch “zero gravity” recline function, while rear occupants now get foldable tray tables and a pair of cupholders hidden in the centre console, according to Autohome.

Technical details have yet to be revealed, but it’s reported that the full electric version gets a slight power bump to 313 PS (230 kW), while an LFP battery of unspecified capacity remains. We should point out that the C10 Plus that was launched in Malaysia earlier this year was already updated with an more powerful 299 PS (220 kW) rear motor, up from 218 PS (160 kW).

The car also gained much larger 81.9 kWh battery that delivers a WLTP range of 510 km – a jump of 86 km – as well as an 800-volt electrical architecture. As a consequence of this, the C10 Plus now supports up to 180 kW of DC fast charging (up from just 84 kW before) and charges from 30 to 80% in 22 minutes.

In China, the C10 is also available with a range extender. The facelifted version is set to retain its 95 PS (70 kW) 1.5 litre petrol engine but gain 41 PS (30 kW) in electric power to 272 PS (200 kW).

Expect the facelifted C10 to arrive in Malaysia sometime next year, but not before the current model enters CKD local assembly at the Stellantis plant in Gurun, Kedah. The project has been massively delayed, as production was due to start at the end of last year, but has finally kicked off recently.

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