At the last Paris Motor Show, Leapmotor exhibited its C11 electric SUV, which it aims to sell soon in Europe. In China, a version with a range extender has just been marketed.
Restored to the spotlight with the success of LI Auto, the principle of the range extender is gradually spreading to several Chinese manufacturers: Dongfeng, Seres/Aito… It’s Leapmotor’s turn to convert its C11 electric SUV to this convenient. From a styling point of view, it will take a trained eye to tell the difference between the two versions. The new front bumper mainly features a real air intake grille. At the rear, the exhaust remains completely hidden behind the shield.
Inside, there are no major differences to report between the two versions of the C11, still with the three-screen dashboard, three-zone air conditioning, 3D audio system, electric door opening, surveillance camera. driver on foot A…
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An engine provided by LI Auto
Under the hood, but completely hidden under a plastic cover, we will therefore find a 3-cylinder 1.2 Turbo. Logically, the front trunk has completely disappeared. To give birth to its first range extender model, Leapmotor turned to the benchmark manufacturer, LI Auto. The reference DAM12TD engine is indeed identical to the one that takes place under the hood of the LI Auto One. Its power of 96 kW / 131 hp is only used to recharge the battery whose capacity is 43.7 kWh.
The front wheels are exclusively driven by an electric motor, which develops 200 kW / 272 hp / 360 Nm. This is the same motor as the 100% electric version of the C11, but this variant with its gasoline companion does not offer four-wheel drive version.
Using only the electric motor, the range will be 170 km in the WLTP cycle (285 km in the CLTC cycle). With the petrol engine, the range exceeds 1,000 km (CLTC). The base price has been set at 159,800 RMB (21,850 €), which is almost 30,000 RMB (4,100 €) less than the electric version. An even more affordable version could arrive, since a 30 kWh battery could also be offered, with just under 200 km of autonomy (CLTC). Before the end of the year, the C01 sedan will in turn benefit from this technology.
What if Chinese manufacturers decided to bring the range extender to Europe? The only offer on the market today is the Mazda MX-30 R-EV.
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