The purpose of this category is to recognise a new vehicle that really delivers on the promise of electrified technology, be it hybrid or full-electric. The beauty of the Leapmotor C10 is that it gives you the choice of either, at similar price points, allowing buyers to have the best fit for their automotive needs.
The C10 medium-large SUV was launched in New Zealand in pure-electric (BEV) form last year: 160kW/320Nm, rear-drive and a range of 420km from the 69.9kWh battery.
But this year it was joined by the C10 Ultra Hybrid, which has a smaller 28.4kWh battery but adds a 1.5-litre petrol engine. It’s still 100 per cent electric-drive (and the same 160kW320Nm as the BEV), but the zero-emissions range is 145km – still impressive for a hybrid.
If the battery is depleted before you can recharge (it’s DC-compatible), the petrol engine can act as a generator to achieve a combined range of nearly 1000km.
The C10 looks the part, it’s spacious and well-built, and like many brands with connected cars, Leapmotor has been working hard with over-the-air (OTA) updates to refine this model’s driver-assistance features for local conditions.
And now, Leapmotor has sweetened the BEV deal with a new dual-motor model that makes an eyebrow-raising 440kW/720Nm and can sprint to 100km/h in just 4.0 seconds.
Runners up: BYD Shark 6, Kia EV3.
Check out the other Category Winners here
And don't forget the Overall Winner will be announced at 7am on Friday, December 5.