Although the current sales volume is not bad in the new car-making forces, the lack of a popular model has undoubtedly become a "heart disease", and on June 28, the Leap C16 was officially launched, the Leap C16 launched a total of 6 models, with a price range of 155,800-185,800 yuan, of which the price range of the three models of the extended range version is 155,800-179,800 yuan, and the price range of the three models of the pure electric version is 161,800-185,800 yuan. From the perspective of product positioning, Leap C16 is staring at the ideal L6 and M7, so can this new car achieve hot sales?
What is the strength of the new car?
As a new product of the LEAP 3.0 architecture, the new car still inherits the design language of the Leap family in terms of exterior design, such as the through-type headlights, closed grille and the shape of the envelope below, which are very similar to the Leapmotor C10. However, the Leap C16 is more burly than the Leap C10, and a large number of horizontal lines are used on the side, making it look more like an MPV model.
In terms of body size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4915/1905/1770mm, and the wheelbase is 2825mm. The rear of the car also has a family-style design, with continuous taillights and a concealed exhaust in the extended-range version.
In terms of interior, the overall style of the new car is also very simple, its interior is equipped with a combination of 14.6-inch central control screen + 10.25-inch LCD instrument, the central control screen has a built-in 8295 chip, and will provide 360-degree panoramic images and natural voice assistant and other functions, while the new car is also equipped with FACE ID face recognition. In terms of seats, it will provide a 2+2+2 layout, and it will also be equipped with a 15.6-inch rear entertainment screen, which has a good performance in shaping the sense of science and technology.
In addition, in terms of power, the new car is available in pure electric version and extended range version, of which the pure electric version is equipped with lithium iron phosphate battery and 800V technology, with a range of 520km and 0-100km/h acceleration in 6.37 seconds, and the extended range version is equipped with a 95-horsepower 1.5L four-cylinder extended range engine, with a maximum motor power of 170kW, a pure electric range of 200km, a feed fuel consumption of 5.4L/100km, and a CLTC comprehensive range of 1095km.
What are the prospects for the future?
Although compared with Wei Xiaoli, Leapmotor has been in the second-tier new forces for a long time, but its sales performance is not bad. In 2023, Leapmotor delivered a total of 144155 new cars, and although it failed to reach the annual sales target of 200,000 units, it ranked third among new car manufacturers, ahead of Xpeng Motors. From January to May this year, the cumulative sales of Leapmotor were 66,580 units, a year-on-year increase of 112.76%. However, the kingpin model is the low-priced Leap T03, followed by the Leap C11.
Previously, Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Leapmotor, had said that the positioning of Leapmotor was "to buy a car with a configuration of 300,000 to 400,000 yuan at a price of 15 to 200,000 yuan." However, the low-price strategy has also put a lot of pressure on its operating conditions. According to the financial report, after the gross profit margin of Leapmotor turned positive in the fourth quarter of last year, the gross profit margin fell to negative again in the first quarter of this year. According to the data, the gross profit margin of Leapmotor in the first quarter of this year was -1.4%.
Now the arrival of Leap C16 has further enriched its product lineup, and at present, Leap C16 and Leap C10 can share a large number of parts, if the sales of the two cars can be increased, Leap C16 can also bring good profits.
However, although it is said that Leap C16 occupies a certain advantage in price, compared with the ideal L6 of the same level, the price of the M7 is tens of thousands of yuan lower. However, many intelligent and comfortable configurations of Leap C16 will only be equipped with options, and there is no four-wheel drive system in all of its systems. Previously, Leap C10 also had a good price advantage, but its monthly sales were only maintained at about 5,000 units, which is still quite a big gap with the M7 and Ideal L6. The arrival of the Leap C16 remains to be seen whether it can achieve a rapid increase in sales.
Write at the end
Nowadays, the new energy vehicle market has become more and more involuted, as a new force in car manufacturing, Leapmotor, in the case of sales and profitability are both under pressure, through cost performance to maintain development is obviously not a long-term way. In addition, in the absence of an obvious brand label, it has become more and more difficult for Leapmotor to achieve a breakthrough. Today, BYD has laid out a variety of models in the range of 10-200,000 yuan, and occupies the active advantage. And Geely, Chery and other old car companies have also begun to exert force, leaving little time for Leap to adjust.
(This article is originally produced by Wenwu Lane New Media Studio, the picture comes from the Internet, please indicate the source for reprinting: Wenwu Lane, the author of this article: Xia Mu, personal opinion, for reference only)