Leapmotor confirms Apple and Android for C10
Over-the-air update coming in August to new electric SUVThe slow-selling Leapmotor C10 electric vehicle will be boosted with the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring from August.
The update is coming far sooner than originally expected and was confirmed by Leapmotor International CEO Xin Tianshu last Friday, ahead of hosting the launch of the new range-extender C10 REEV at the Melbourne Motor Show.
“For the C10, Leapmotor is working on a solution in the second half of the year which allow customer to enjoy this kind of functionality by pairing their phones with the car,” Tianshu confirmed.
“So there is a solution already, in addition to aftermarket solutions.
“So, that customer need and feedback is already being taken under consideration and we will address that.”
The update will come in the form of an over-the-air update that will include C10s already on the road.
It will be performed at no cost and allow the C10 to employ Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly or via cable using Leapmotor’s existing QDLink tech.
The August update accelerates by years the timeline estimated by local Leapmotor management for Apple and Android to be made available in the C10.
All future Leapmotor models sold in Australia starting with the B10 compact SUV will come standard with the Apple and Android smartphone mirroring tech.
Leapmotor Australia is aiming to have at least six battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models on sale in Australia within three years.
Until now, Leapmotor Australia has been stoic in its insistence that Apple and Android weren’t an impediment to customer interest in the C10.
Local chief Andy Hoang even gave a defence of the existing set-up minutes before Tianshu confirmed the change was coming.
“I think there are a large group of customers who recognise it isn’t the be all and end all,” he said.
“The two things used most in your car are mapping and music. And most of the time you explain to a customer the car does have mapping, does have Spotify, does have YouTube, we found they go, ‘Oh, in actual fact I have heard about CarPlay but I don’t really need it’.
Despite its affordable pricing, Leapmotor C10 sales have been slow since its launch in Australia under the Stellantis umbrella. In the first three months of 2025, 138 have left showrooms. Fellow Chinese brand BYD has sold 730 Sealion 7s, Geely 188 EX5s and Zeekr 179 X compact SUVs.
Tianshu explained the decision to omit Apple and Android mirroring from the C10 dated back to the establishment of Leapmotor by its founder Zhu Jianming in 2015.
“When the founder set up the company the benchmark he has is Tesla,” he explained. “Tesla is very successful and so he benchmarked Tesla on this.
“Also, when they set up China was the main market at that time. And China market frankly speaking … everybody is driving using the phone [via its loudspeaker or with ear buds], so from a customer perspective in China it’s not a must.”
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