Leapmotor will launch a sporty Ultra version of its B05 small electric hatchback in New Zealand during the second half of 2027, but Australian buyers still have no confirmed date. The Chinese brand's New Zealand distributor, Auto Distributors New Zealand, confirmed the timing to CarExpert New Zealand in August.
Leapmotor Australia boss Andy Hoang told CarExpert he is in talks with the factory about bringing the model here, but could not commit to a launch window. "We're probably not at the point where we can confirm it for Australia in terms of timing, but we're definitely in conversations to see how and when we could get it here," he said.
Australia talks ongoing, no date set
Hoang said the Ultra would sharpen the appeal of a car that is already acting as a halo model for the brand locally. "The B05 in its current form is already for us a halo product because it's different," he said. "The customers that are buying the car are those that want to make an entrance... I think the Ultra will supersize that".
He acknowledged the Ultra may be a narrower proposition than the standard EV hatch, but argued its effect on brand perception would be significant. Leapmotor Australia has not announced a launch date, price or specification for the B05 Ultra, and none of those details have been confirmed for New Zealand either.
In Australia the B05 is Leapmotor's only non-SUV model, alongside a range that elsewhere includes sedans, a people mover and a microcar.
Export Ultra will differ from Chinese Lafa 5 Ultra
The export-market B05 Ultra is based on the Chinese-market Lafa 5 Ultra but will not be identical. Leapmotor Europe product marketing manager Alexis Cieslewicz told CarExpert in June that the global version needs "some fine-tuning and needs some further development", adding that the Chinese version "maybe is not perfect for European market".
Leapmotor International's head of commercial operations for Europe, Danilo Annese, said the car is due in 2027 but not at the start of the year, because raising the performance bar takes time.
Leapmotor has not published power, torque, battery size, range or charging figures for the export B05 Ultra, and no test-cycle range figure has been released for New Zealand or Australia. The Chinese Lafa 5 Ultra's specifications are not a reliable guide to the export car, given the stated further development.
A halo model with a narrow audience
The Ultra's role is as much about showroom traffic as sales volume. A faster, more distinctive version of an already niche hatch gives dealers something to talk about, and Hoang's comments suggest Leapmotor sees that effect as worth pursuing even if volumes are small.
For buyers, the practical question is timing. New Zealand customers can plan around a second-half 2027 arrival, while Australian buyers have no date to work with. Anyone cross-shopping the B05 Ultra against other electric hot hatches will need to wait for specifications before making a comparison, since neither power nor range has been announced for the export version.
