Budget electric Chinese SUV coming to Oz? 2025 Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric rivalling Stellantis-backed Leapmotor B10 compact SUV to be revealed next month

Chinese new electric car brand Leapmotor is gearing up to unveil its Kia EV3 and Hyundai Kona Electric competitor – the B10 compact SUV – at the Paris motor show next month.

Teased in heavy camouflage by the Stellantis-backed Chinese brand, according to CarNewsChina, the B10 has been designed specifically for overseas markets. Leapmotor’s larger Tesla Model Y competitor, the C10, will arrive in Australia this November.

The B10 appears considerably smaller than the C10 thanks to a shorter front-end and smaller front and rear overhangs. The length has been speculated at 4.5m, roughly 200mm longer than the Kia EV3 but approximately 279mm shorter than the C10.

The B10 appears to resemble the C10 a little closer at the rear, with a curved roofline, angular D-pillars and what appears to be a rear LED light bar. There’s also concealed electronic door handles.

The B10 will be underpinned by the brand’s latest 3.5 electrical architecture. Details are scarce on the platform as of yet, but it is rumoured to serve as the architecture for several upcoming Leapmotor vehicles, such as the A12 crossover SUV.

It will likely be a step up from the brand's 3.0 electric 800-volt architecture, which is paired with a 69.9kWh lithium iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack delivering 420km of driving range in the C10.

2025 Leapmotor C10

It could potentially be offered with a plug-in hybrid range extender powertrain option as well, which could carry a configuration similar to the 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 26.6kWh battery pack that will be offered in the C10 in the near future.

Teaser images show it driving off-road, which potentially foreshadows an all-wheel drive configuration. CarNewsChina reports the brand is not pursuing four-wheel drive powertrains domestically due to low demand, although that could change for international markets.

Pricing is unclear, but expect it to come in cheaper than the sub $50,000 price tag speculated for the C10.

2025 Leapmotor B10

More technical details are expected following the vehicle’s reveal in Paris.

Leapmotor has burst onto the automotive industry’s radar quite rapidly in Europe since the brand was founded in 2015, largely thanks to its joint venture with Stellantis. The European-American automotive conglomerate owns a 51 per cent stake in Leapmotor.

Orders have already commenced for the Kia Picanto-sized T03 and the mid-size C10 across several European markets, while sales will commence in another right-hand drive market – the UK – next month.

The B10 is expected to arrive on the international market some time next year.