Leapmotor T03 set for radical redesign sooner than expected
City car has only been on sale a matter of weeks, but plans are afoot to bring the design in line with rest of the range
The Leapmotor T03 city car has only just launched in the UK, but back in China the brand’s bosses have hinted that they’re readying an extensive update that would see its styling brought in line with other models in the line-up.
Speaking at this week’s Shanghai Auto Show, Leapmotor COO Tianshu Xin acknowledged that the T03’s aesthetic was out of step with the rest of the range. “The T03 was launched and introduced in China five years ago,” he said. “Now it’s finally time; that car is the perfect car size for the European marketplace. But once we have the platform, it’s absolutely no trouble to refresh the car with the latest stuff.”
Adopting a similar approach to Dacia, which recently gave its T03-rivalling Spring city car an extensive visual overhaul, would see the smallest Leapmotor inherit a much sleeker look. It’s likely the round, wide-set headlights would be replaced by thinner units connected by a black strip, with a similar treatment to the rear.
The car’s overall proportions are unlikely to change, and nor is the core battery and motor technology beneath the skin. That means a 37kWh battery good for up to 165 miles on a charge – comfortably more than its Dacia competitor.
Tech-wise, the T03 already gets a reasonably chunky central touchscreen and digital dials. With over-the-air updates, this can quickly and easily be tweaked to accommodate the latest software – presumably making this a less expensive task than installing revised sheet metal. Trim and material upgrades are more likely, although the city car is built to a price, limiting its scope for high-end fabrics on the seats, doors or dash.
While nothing is guaranteed in the next six to 12 months, Tianshu told us his team is paying very close attention to the car’s success in Europe: “It’s coming down to the demand,” he said. “We’re monitoring the customer feedback and the perception of the car, to decide if we do something refreshed.”
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