China's Leapmotor Makes Its Move: C10 and T03 Signal Broader European Ambitions

For anyone still clinging to the belief that Chinese carmakers would remain niche players in Europe, it's time to think again. In Spain, Leapmotor has quietly begun rolling out its C10 REEV.

The C10 REEV isn’t an electric car in the conventional sense. It speaks directly to those drivers still hesitant about fully electric vehicles, plagued by lingering "what if..." scenarios. This model features a 1.5-litre petrol engine—not to power the wheels, but to act as a generator when the battery runs low. The result? Up to 970 kilometres of range, without a single stop at a charging station.

Smaller and more sprightly, the T03 is Leapmotor’s compact city car. It’s fully electric, designed for urban life, but still manages to offer surprising spaciousness and everyday practicality.

In May, Leapmotor secured a 2% slice of Spain’s electric vehicle market. Since the beginning of the year, 680 of their vehicles have been registered. Not bad for a company that, until recently, was as familiar to Europeans as the far side of the moon.