Leapmotor B10 got the Irmscher treatment, and China’s electric SUV now wants to pass for a German athlete
Leapmotor’s B10 has found itself a German stylist. Irmscher created a special B10 Dynamic edition of the electric SUV, and production is capped at 500 cars. The hardware stayed untouched, but the body now sits 30 millimetres lower, the car rides on new 19 inch alloy wheels and the price climbs to €38,500. The recipe sounds familiar enough, more attitude, the same motor and a more expensive stare.
What Irmscher changed on the Leapmotor B10
Irmscher based the special edition on the Leapmotor B10 Pro Max. That means a 67.1 kWh battery and a 160 kW electric motor on the rear axle, or 218 hp in old money. The powertrain was left alone, with attention focused instead on the chassis and the styling. Sometimes that is quite enough in the car industry, provided the engineer stays out of the designer’s way and the designer keeps clear of the battery pack.
The new springs drop the body by 30 millimetres. Irmscher says that cuts body roll and sharpens steering feel. The car also gets exclusive 19 inch alloy wheels, black mirror caps, black exterior trim and dark graphic stripes along the doors and rear flanks, all trying rather hard to look more athletic.
Inside, Irmscher added embroidery, decorative stitching and an aluminium plaque showing each car’s build number. It does nothing for range or charging speed, of course, but buyers of limited run models never pay only for kilowatts. They also pay for the quiet satisfaction of knowing the neighbour will not have the same plaque.
The mechanical package stayed the same, which means the B10 remained sensible
The special edition uses the same technical package already outlined in Leapmotor’s official press material. The 67.1 kWh battery delivers up to 434 kilometres of range on the WLTP cycle, the 160 kW rear motor gets the car from 0 to 100 km/h in about 8.0 seconds and DC charging takes the battery from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in 20 minutes. Irmscher did not turn it into a faster electric car. It turned it into a more self assured one. The difference is not huge, but marketing departments have built entire careers on distinctions like that.
The price says this is no longer just the affordable option
The B10 Dynamic costs €38,500. The standard model comes in at around €35,000. Irmscher is not selling cheapness here. It is selling image.
What the Leapmotor B10 special edition really says
This marks the second joint project between Leapmotor and Irmscher. It suits the current moment rather well, because almost every new electric car now promises to be smart, sleek and sustainable, which is to say about as exciting as a carefully completed spreadsheet. Irmscher is trying to scribble a bit of character into that spreadsheet. Whether that is enough is another matter, but at least this one no longer looks as though it was designed by a procurement department.
