The pure electric SUV market in the 100,000-150,000 yuan range is showing a scene of prosperity, with many automakers vying for share in this market. Previously, domestic independent brands had already entered this market one after another, and now joint venture brands have also joined the competition. Toyota's recently launched bZ3X model has a pricing strategy that points directly at the 100,000-150,000 yuan range, with LiDAR entering the 140,000 yuan level. Well, no sooner had it entered than it was overtaken by the B10 at the 120,000 yuan level. Joint ventures are still a big step behind the new forces.
In addition to joint venture brands, at the beginning of this year, the launch of the BYD Yuan PLUS Smart Driving Edition also triggered competition in the compact pure electric SUV market, offering decent smart driving functions at a price of less than 120,000 yuan. In this market, the Geely Galaxy E5 successfully attracted consumers' attention with its excellent value for money and rich configuration. It can be seen that in the 100,000-150,000 yuan market, consumers have too many choices. However, in this competition, as soon as the presale price of the Leapmotor B10 was announced, it became the focus of consumers' attention in this market.
The Geely Galaxy E5 has a simple and grand exterior design, with a popular closed front face, sharp headlights on both sides, and smooth body lines throughout, giving people a sense of steadiness without losing fashion.
The BYD Yuan PLUS is equipped with a brand-new front face design, and the front bumper has been optimized, giving it a more dynamic temperament. The shape of the headlights has also been changed, presenting a deeper visual effect. At the same time, the model has replaced the wheel design with all-new wheels, offering two styles for consumers to choose from, further enhancing its sporty flavor. The through-type taillight at the rear adopts a light source layout similar to a Chinese knot, showing a sense of design beauty.
In terms of dimensions, all three models are positioned as compact SUVs. Among the three, the Galaxy E5 has the advantage in size, the Leapmotor B10 ranks second, and the Yuan PLUS has the smallest overall size. The wheelbases of the three models are the same way, but the differences among them are not obvious.
However, judging from the presale introduction of the Leapmotor B10, although its size is somewhat smaller than that of the Galaxy E5, its space utilization is good. The B10's occupant activity space reaches 2390mm, with a room efficiency of 87.4%, and it provides flexible and variable space. The front seats can be laid flat backward, and the rear seats can be folded forward to form a large platform, saving a family of three the step of pitching a tent when camping. Together with a 1.83-square-meter panoramic sunroof, the interior space is bright, and meeting the travel needs of the whole family is no problem. In addition, the B10's headroom is also spacious, with maximum front-row headroom reaching 1027mm and rear-row headroom at 1005mm. Even if there is a 1.85-meter-tall person in the family, whether sitting in the front or rear, they will not feel oppressed. In the past, people said the Galaxy E5 had A-segment dimensions and B-segment space. Now this statement is equally apt when used to describe the Leapmotor B10.
In terms of interior, it can be seen that the center console layouts of the three models are very similar, though the detailed design of each model still differs. The Leapmotor B10 adopts a 14.6-inch 2.5K floating central control screen and a rectangular full LCD instrument panel, showing a good technological atmosphere.
The design in front of the passenger seat is a bonus point, adopting a multi-purpose island platform, breaking the traditional closed design and showing its own ideas and characteristics in interior design. Whether for working on a laptop or placing miscellaneous items, it is a good choice.
The Galaxy E5 adopts a traditional center console layout, with a flat-bottom steering wheel, LCD instrument panel, and floating central control large screen all present. The overall design is concise, reducing the use of physical buttons. The interior adopts a classic design style.
Compared with the old model, the interior design of the Yuan PLUS has changed in details, weakening the previous ocean elements. It is equipped with a floating central control screen, cancels the traditional gear shifter design, and instead adopts a column shifter. The model has added some "little touches" in the design of positions such as door handles and air conditioning vents, making it look more individual than the Galaxy E5, though its practicality is not as good as that of the Leapmotor B10.
In terms of hardware, the Leapmotor B10 brings higher-level hardware down to models in the 100,000 yuan class. The B10 is equipped with the Qualcomm 8295 chip, with NPU computing power reaching 30Tops, while the Galaxy E5 is equipped with the Dragon Eagle No. 1, with NPU computing power of 8Tops, at the industry average level. In terms of computing power, the Leapmotor B10 has the advantage of coming later. At the same time, hardware configurations such as the 8650 chip and LiDAR that only appear in models costing several hundred thousand yuan are presented on the B10, which undoubtedly brings consumers a better car experience.
It can be seen that among the three models, the GPU and CPU performance of the 8295 chip exceeds that of the self-developed Dragon Eagle No. 1 chip. On the Galaxy E5's infotainment system, the 8TOPS AI computing power NPU not only responds quickly, but its answers are also very intelligent, not like a machine at all. It can thus be seen that the Leapmotor B10's infotainment interface response and image rendering will reach an even higher level.
In terms of power, as can be seen from the figure above, the entry-level range of the Leapmotor B10 already reaches 510km, and the top trim reaches as high as 600km, making it more competitive than the just-over-400km range of the Galaxy E5 and Yuan PLUS. Whether it is the entry-level range or the high-trim range, both can meet consumers' needs for daily travel and long-distance trips. At the same time, among the three models, the Leapmotor B10 has the advantage in fast charging time. This can save a large amount of charging time throughout the entire vehicle usage cycle. Whether for long-distance travel or self-driving tours, it saves more time.
The three models each have their own characteristics in chassis design. The Leapmotor B10 is based on the LEAP 3.5 technology architecture, with an innovative chassis design, adopting a front MacPherson + rear five-link suspension combination. The suspension cost is relatively high and is generally equipped on models priced above 300,000 yuan. At the same time, it has been jointly tuned with the chassis master team of the Stellantis Group, improving handling stability. The chassis texture and driving comfort are worth looking forward to, suitable for consumers with requirements for driving experience.
The Galaxy E5 is based on Geely's GEA architecture and is equipped with front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension and CTB technology, enhancing stability and handling. During emergency lane changes or high-speed cornering, body roll is small, which can provide drivers with confidence. The 50:50 axle load ratio ensures the vehicle's handling under various road conditions, making the driving experience more relaxed and enjoyable.
The Yuan PLUS chassis adopts front MacPherson and rear multi-link independent suspension. The chassis tuning leans toward comfort, and the filtering of fine bumps is very thorough, so passengers in the car have better ride comfort during daily driving. However, during high-speed cornering, the vehicle's body roll will be relatively more obvious, which has a certain impact on driving pleasure. But considering its positioning as a family car, such chassis tuning is also reasonable.
Consumers' demands for cars are no longer limited to mobility functions. Aspects such as intelligence, range, driving control, and health also need to keep pace with the times. Models such as the BYD Yuan PLUS and Geely Galaxy E5 easily achieve monthly sales of over 10,000 units, relying on brand influence and rich configurations. Compared with these new energy models of the same class, the Leapmotor B10, as a latecomer, has shown good competitiveness in hardware performance, power performance, and intelligent configuration thanks to its late-mover advantages. And compared with the new model bZ3X from the joint venture automaker Toyota, leaving other things aside, at 129,800 yuan it only has ACC, while the Leapmotor B10 at this price already has high-level smart driving with LiDAR. In terms of price, the B10's competitiveness goes a step further.
The launch of the Leapmotor B10 undoubtedly gives consumers a very good choice for a pure electric SUV in the 100,000-150,000 yuan class, and also redefines the standard for high-level smart driving in terms of price. Moreover, this is only the presale price; there may be even more surprises after the official launch later. I'm still quite looking forward to it!
