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Despite being undercut on Australia’s cheapest EV SUV, Leapmotor says that it will not go into a price war with fellow Chinese manufacturer BYD.
Electric Cars
Leapmotor, one of the many new Chinese car brands in Australia and whose international venture is majority owned by Stellantis, has said that it will not enter a price war with BYD.
This comes after the Leapmotor B10 was poised to be Australia’s cheapest electric SUV, before being massively undercut by the pricing announcement of the BYD Atto 2 less than a month later.
Despite this, Rick Crichton, Senior Product Manager at Stellantis Australia, says that being the cheapest on the market is not the brand’s intention.
“There were some really eye-catching headlines that were published after we released our B10 pricing. ‘Australia's most affordable electric SUV’ is one that comes to mind. That wasn't our intention.
“We wanted to deliver maximum value to customers. And that was just a by-product of delivering the most competitive product that we could.”
The B10, which currently starts at $37,888 plus on-road costs, is beaten out on price by the BYD Atto 2, which currently has a starting RRP of $31,990 plus on-road costs.
Although Stellantis is denying a price war, Leapmotor has offered the B10 for a special drive-away price of $38,990, priced similarly to the Atto 2 Premium, which will cost Sydneysiders around $38,800 drive-away.
Stellantis also has no plan to drop the price, although it could consider an extension of the launch deal.
“The offer is in market until the 31st of March, so we can reassess between now and the end of March.”
“I keep a pretty close tab on the market in terms of competitor movements.
“So right now we've communicated a super attractive price. If people want to undercut, I think the B10 still, with all the value and features that we've conveyed today, it's priced really well, and I think consumers will recognise that.”
Crichton also mentioned that the Atto 2 and the B10 sit in somewhat different segments, with the B10 sitting closer to a medium SUV in dimensions than a small.
“It's the ... largest small SUV, one of the largest small SUVs in the segment, so I think you're trying to draw comparisons between [the Atto 2 and B10] that are competing in different segments.”
Offering a smaller stature than the B10 and a front-drive system, with the choice of a smaller battery, it could fire back at the Atto 2.
However, Crichton says that the small SUV “is something that is being considered”. We will likely hear if the car reaches the Australian market within the coming months, following its UK launch at the end of 2026.
Electric Cars Guide
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
