The Leapmotor C01's official prices are higher than its pre-sale prices, a rarity in the Chinese electric vehicle industry.

(Image credit: Leapmotor)

Leapmotor officially launched its flagship sedan, the C01, at an event on Wednesday evening, September 28, one day before the electric vehicle maker was set to make its Hong Kong stock market debut.

The Leapmotor C01 was unveiled and made available for pre-sale in early May, with a pre-sale price range of RMB 180,000 ($25,000) to RMB 270,000.

The model was officially launched with a post-subsidy price range of RMB 193,800-286,800, and consumers who lock in their orders by October 15 will receive an RMB 10,000 discount.

It's worth noting that even with the discount, the official prices of the Leapmotor C01 are higher than the pre-sale prices, which is a rarity in the Chinese EV industry, perhaps because of the pressure the company has faced from rising raw material prices over the past few months.

The Leapmotor C01 is a mid to large-size sedan over 5 meters long and is offered in five versions with four options of range including 500 km, 606 km, 717 km and 630 km.

It is priced at RMB 193,800 for the rear-drive standard range version after subsidies, RMB 209,800 for the rear-drive long-range version, RMB 231,800 for the rear-drive extra-long-range version, RMB 251,800 for the 4WD dual-motor version and RMB 286,800 for the 4WD dual-motor performance version.

Deliveries of the model will officially begin in October, although deliveries of the highest-priced performance version will begin in December and deliveries of the rear-wheel drive standard version will begin in the second quarter of 2023.

The Leapmotor C01 is 5,050 mm long, 1,902 mm wide and 1,509 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,930 mm.

The Leapmotor C01 is equipped with CTC (cell to chassis) technology, which integrates the battery, chassis and underbody into a single unit, thereby eliminating the need for a separate battery pack for the vehicle.

Compared to conventional solutions, the solution allows for a 20 percent reduction in the number of components, a 15kg reduction in vehicle weight and a 14.5 percent increase in battery arrangement space, according to the company.

The Leapmotor C01 rear-wheel-drive model has an electric motor with a maximum power of 200 kW and a maximum torque of 360 Nm. Its four-wheel-drive version has dual motors with a maximum power of 400 kW and a maximum torque of 720 Nm.

In terms of 0-100 km/h sprint time, the four-wheel drive version is 4.26 seconds and 3.66 seconds respectively.

The cockpit is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155P chip, which supports OPPO mobile connectivity and can also control the vehicle via OPPO watch.

The Leapmotor C01 comes standard with the Leapmotor Pilot driver assistance system with 28 sensory hardware and 23 intelligent driver assistance features.

Consumers can subscribe to the company's NAP system, which provides L2 driving assistance in everyday urban travel, highway and parking scenarios.

The official launch of the Leapmotor C01 comes a day before the company's IPO in Hong Kong. The company began trading in Hong Kong today and was down about 24 percent at press time.

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