Leapmotor ute gains momentum

Leapmotor Australia has again flagged its desire for a dual-cab ute, with local product planning boss Rick Crichton confirming the brand’s decision makers are aware of its importance. This marks the third time the Stellantis-backed brand has publicly acknowledged the potential for a pick-up truck.

Leapmotor Australia product planning manager Rick Crichton stopped short of confirming anything concrete, but made it clear the idea of a Leapmotor ute is very much alive internally.

“I put my hand up for lots of things,” Crichton said.

“They’re aware that a ute will perform well here, as well as in a lot of other markets.

“I think it would suit the Australian market really well. So I’ll leave it at that,” he told carsales.

The carefully chosen language mirrors comments made last year by Leapmotor International head product planner Francesco Giacalone.

He revealed he had been tasked by the company’s Chinese headquarters to assess the global viability of a pick-up truck and light commercial vehicle (LCV) program.

“Two weeks ago I got Leapmotor calling me saying ‘Francesco, we need to assess globally the potential for Leapmotor to produce a pick-up truck and LCVs (light commercial vehicles)’,” Giacalone said at the time.

“But that tells you how those guys are open-minded to enter any possible category and any possible product.”

Leapmotor’s global joint venture with Stellantis – the automotive conglomerate behind brands including RAM and Jeep – provides a ready-made knowledge base in body-on-frame vehicles, 4x4 systems and dual-cab ute development.

It also gives Leapmotor leverage in markets where utes are not just popular but dominant – Australia chief among them.

Crucially, the brand’s range-extender electric vehicle (REEV) technology could prove a strong fit for local conditions.

The Leapmotor C10 REEV claims up to 145 kilometres of electric-only driving range (WLTP) and a combined driving range of up to 950km.

Applied to a dual-cab ute platform, such a system could offer the benefits of electric driving for daily commuting while retaining long-distance touring and towing capability – potentially positioning it as a rival to electrified entrants such as the BYD Shark 6.

Crichton also noted that Leapmotor’s global leadership is “responsive to [Aussie] feedback”, a significant point given Australia’s track record of influencing right-hand drive product decisions for emerging brands.

Three separate acknowledgements – twice from global product planning and now the Australian arm – suggest a Leapmotor ute is more than idle speculation, even if no formal green light has been issued.

Whether that translates into a showroom-ready dual-cab before the end of the decade remains to be seen. But with feasibility studies under way and local executives advocating for the segment, the groundwork is clearly being laid.

* Digital images created with AI assistance

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au