China comes for Volkswagen Golf GTI
China is now taking aim at the world’s affordable performance icons, with a cut-price hot hatch looming that could tempt buyers from a Hyundai i30 N or Ioniq 5 N and a VW Golf GTI or R.
The model in question is the Leapmotor B05 Ultra, which has been revealed in China as an all-electric hot hatch producing 180kW and 320Nm, and sprinting to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds.
That is just the beginning, with the Chinese hot hatch to be handed over to Stellantis’ (and specifically Alfa Romeo‘s) chassis engineers to deliver a European-class hot hatch that could be a true bang-for-bucks bargain.
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That’s the word from Leapmotor’s Head of Commercial Operations in Europe, Danilo Annese, who says the “sky is the limit” for the Ultra.
“It is not sure that it will be exactly the one you see in China. In the sense that it is Ultra and it should be Ultra,” says Annese.
“We are discussing that (Europe’s Ultra) is not that car. It is not the Chinese car, (that) is a body kit. And we want to do it a little bit better than that. But the sky is the limit. Let’s see what we can do.”
“We are working on the other things now to see what we can have as a package.”
It is understood that the changes aren’t just limited to chassis tuning, but could also include bespoke hardware, and a further power boost.
“Those are the discussions,” Annese says.
The export-ready B05 Ultra will be ready in the first half of 2027, with the softer variant – named simply the B05 – launching in Australia at the end of the year.
Pricing promises to be sharp, too, with the first B05 launching at around $35,000 in our market.
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