Leapmotor refuses to reveal the interior of the B05

Leapmotor presented an attractive electric compact car at the IAA in the form of the B05. However, the vehicle on display in Munich surprised visitors with one detail: its windows were completely covered up. Here's what that's all about.

The B05 is likely to be an interesting car in Europe – a classic compact car in the C segment, 4.43 metres long, sporty in design and presumably very affordable. Although Stellantis’ Chinese partner has not yet revealed much information, dimensions such as the 2.74-metre wheelbase suggest that the B05 is based on the LEAP3.5 platform – and will therefore have similar powertrains to the B10 SUV model. And that is already priced at £29,900 for Europe. The smaller B05 could be even cheaper.

But at the trade fair in Munich, the B05 on display stands out not only for its bright yellow colour. Another detail catches the eye: all the windows are covered with black film, so that no view into the interior is possible. The vehicle itself looks very close to production. But is it just a hastily assembled exhibition piece with no real interior?

The explanation is probably different – and has to do with a whim of company founder Zhu Jiangming. As reported by Automobilwoche, Zhu rejected a specific colour combination for the interior of the new B05 shortly before the trade fair. At that point, however, the vehicle intended for the trade fair was already on its way from China to Europe, a journey of several weeks by sea – in the very colour combination that had suddenly been rejected by the founder.

Image: Stellantis

Since it was not possible to convert to a different interior at short notice and they did not want to show a configuration that would not be offered later, the solution was simple: no one should be able to see inside the vehicle. Therefore, the windows were covered shortly before the unveiling.

Editor’s note: The Automobilwoche article mentions in part that the interior of the B10 was obscured from view. In fact, however, only the windows of the yellow B05 were covered with foil, and the windows were also blacked out in the renderings. The blue B10 next to the B05 was exhibited without foil-covered windows, allowing a clear view of the interior.

automobilwoche.de (in German)

This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.