Ni hao from Auto China 2026, which is hosted by Beijing this year. Expect to see plenty of huge and luxurious electrified SUVs (PHEVs and REEVs are the trend these days) from the show, but here’s a rare treat for the car enthusiast. Yes, it’s an EV, but of a different kind, one that’s not typical from a Chinese brand.
Say hello to the Leapmotor Lafa 5 Ultra, an electric hot hatch and the sporty version of the Lafa 5, which is a Euro-style C-segment hatchback. Think the Volkswagen Golf and its GTI/R versions. The Lafa 5 was designed to be a global model with an eye on Europe, and the Ultra should eventually make its way abroad too.
Compared to the regular Lafa 5, which adopts the B05 name outside of China, the Ultra sits 10 mm lower at 1,510 mm. Leapmotor is keen to highlight the five-door hatchback’s generous 1,880 mm width. Overall length is 4,490 mm. For context, a VW Golf MK8 is 4,284 mm long, 1,789 mm wide and 1,456 mm tall.
If the Lafa 5 has a Euro-feel to it, then the Ultra follows the more subtle style of the continent’s hot hatches. Like VW’s GTI or R, the Ultra is sportier than the regular Lafa 5, but in a subtle way – it’s not super aggressive or OTT, which one might expect from a Chinese OEM. Sporty cues include a front lip, side skirts, a double-wing rear spoiler and a rear bumper with diffuser – all these are painted in gloss black.
Also exclusive to the Ultra are blacked out badging (curiously, there’s no exterior ‘Ultra’ badge) and 19-inch wheels with dark grey calipers. The cars on stage in Beijing are wearing Hankook iON evo EV-specific tyres in a 225/45 size. Three colours are available – Thunder Flash Yellow, Starry Green and Liquid Silver.
Also ‘just enough’ is the Ultra’s performance. It’s easy for an EV to post mega power and 0-100 km/h acceleration numbers that were previously reserved for supercars, and China’s EVs have disrupted those metrics. So, it’s very refreshing to see a Chinese car with sensible figures and a focus on handling instead. Leapmotor calls the Ultra’s 245 PS (180 kW) a sweet spot, and with all of that going to the rear wheels, 0-100 km/h is a brisk enough 5.9 seconds.
Car enthusiasts will also like the sound of the ‘Sino-Euro engineered chassis’ that delivers ‘pure RWD fun’. The Lafa 5 Ultra has perfect 50:50 weight distribution, reinforced front and rear anti-roll bars as well as upgraded dampers versus the regular B05. Leapmotor claims a similar moose test speed to the Tesla Model 3, but with faster steering response and a smaller yaw response lag time.
Sticking to the same benchmark, the Lafa 5 Ultra also posts higher max cornering g (0.97 g) and shorter 100-0 km/h braking distance (36.01 metres) compared to the Tesla. Contributing to the grip cause are the above-mentioned Hankook tyres.
Rounding up the Ultra package is the interior. The fully-dark cabin (Windchaser Grey is the name of the colour) has plenty of suede-like surfaces on top of the Lafa 5’s class-leading soft-touch material coverage area. Compared to European C-segment hatchbacks, it’s a spacious car for rear passengers.
Sporty upgrades aside, the Ultra retains the Lafa 5’s generous kit list, which includes front seats with eight massage points, heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. As usual, domestic market cars come with roof-mounted LIDAR and blue lights that indicate autonomous driving – these items will most probably be omitted for overseas markets.
Two variants are available – the 500 Ultra with 500 km of CLTC range and the 600 Ultra with 600 km of CLTC range, which is optimistic compared to real-world driving. Expect WLTP figures of around 400 and 500 km respectively.
The price of the Lafa 5 Ultra in China is 123,800 yuan for the 500 and 129,800 yuan for the 600, which translates to RM71,912 and RM75,393 respectively. At the show, Leapmotor announced a special early bird price of 118,800 yuan (RM68,992) for the 500 and 124,800 (RM72,476) for the 600.
Sounds like amazing value, but for me, the Lafa 5 Ultra surprises more in its restrained approach to performance and subtle-sporty looks. What do you think of the Leapmotor Lafa 5 Ultra a.k.a B05 Ultra, and the idea of an EV hot hatch in general?
GALLERY: Leapmotor Lafa 5 Ultra at Auto China 2026
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When new around 2000, the Ford Mustang GT (4.6L V8) typically achieved 0–60 mph in 5.5 to 6.0 seconds.
The wild noise and skidding was fun, we all still remember the traditional way
Wonder how it compares to the battery electric Peugeot 308, also in the Stellantis group
Cantik. RIP GTI.
Doubt it’ll come to Malaysia, unless if they want to enter the hatchback market. Will be great if they price is right from the get-go, but that might disrupt the Myvi market and some people don’t like that