Euro-Bound Leapmotor B05 (Lafa 5) EV Hatch Officially Debuts

Officially debuting at IAA Moblity 2025 in Munich, Germany this week is the new Leapmotor B05 EV hatch.

After teasing it prior, the veil has finally been removed on what we initially reported to be the Leapmotor Lafa 5. At the IAA Mobility 2025 show happening this week in Munich, Germany, said EV hatch officially debuted there as the Leapmotor B05.

It will be “one of the most competitively positioned electric SUVs in its class”, claims its makers, that being Stellantis-backed Chinese EV-making start-up Leapmotor. In Europe, the marque positions the new B05 in between its T03 city car and B10 crossover offerings.

Presumed to underpin the same Leap 3.5 platform base as the Leapmotor B10, the B05 shares a similar footprint and size as the VW ID.3.

Effectively, the B05 is a lower-slung and more accessibly-priced twin to the B10 EV crossover mentioned. In terms of footprint, the B05 sits 4,430 mm long, 1,520mm tall and 1,880mm wide – Leapmotor claims this hatch is the broadest in its segment.

Besides touting it as a “sporty-looking hatch designed for the new generation of urban trendsetters”, Leapmotor also highlights key design touches exuding said claims like the  frameless door windows and 19-inch ‘Swift-Wing’ alloy wheels.

The Stellantis-backed EV maker were also keen to point out the B05's sporty touches like its frameless door windows.

Leapmotor skirted away from releasing any technical details, but the new B05 is widely expected to share a similar driveline as its lifted B10 crossover twin. As a refresher, the latter is powered by single front-mounted e-motor outputting 215 hp and 240 Nm.

Juicing said e-motor in the B10 is either a 56.2 kWh or 67.1 kWh battery pack, and Leapmotor touts a max range of up to 418 KM here. Additionally, all of this are encased within the marque’s latest Leap 3.5 platform base in the B10.

Leapmotor B10 EV crossover pictured. The new B05 EV hatch detailed is expected to mirror much of said EV SUV in terms of powetrain, as well as cabin design and features.

Again, for reference, the Leapmotor B10’s EV driveline detailed sees it sitting on par with notable rivals like the VW ID.3, MG 4 EV, as well as the BYD Dolphin. Additionally, the similarities between the new B05 and its B10 twin continue on board.

For the last fact, expect the new Leapmotor B05 to feature no less than 22 storage compartments, a massive 14.6-inch “floating touchscreen” infotainment interface, an 8.8 inch digital instrument panel and a ‘minimalist’ cabin design

Like its technical details and interior images, prices for the new Leapmotor B05 remain undisclosed still. However, Leapmotor’s fourth new metal from a planned range of six for Europe is expected to go on sale starting early 2026.

Chinese market Leapmotor Lafa 5 version pictured. Note the presence of a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor for this domestic market version.

European market new B05 aside, Leapmotor also showed off what is effectively the same car for its domestic Chinese home market where it’s called the Lafa 5. Also set to go on sale in 2026, both a ‘standard’ and an up-specced ‘Ultra’ guise for which were shown.

One key difference is the fact that the Chinese market Lafa 5 version boasts a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor. In turn, this suggests said Chinese market version will offer even more sophisticated advanced driving assistance (ADAS) features and abilities.

Pictured is the Leapmotor Lafa 5 'Ultra' that's also tipped for release in China early next year.

As for the ‘Ultra’ guise, this is easily distinguished by its adoption of a more pronounced splitter, a larger rear wing, as well as a slightly redesigned rear bumper.

Expect more details to release as the model nears their respective Chinese and European launches.