Leapmotor B10’s more luxurious cousin nears Australian launch

Premium Chinese auto brand Hongqi is entering the Australian market early next year as HQ, and its most affordable model is set to be the EHS4, a small electric SUV closely related to the Leapmotor B10.

The flagship E-HS9 received Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification late last month ahead of customer deliveries commencing in January 2027, and now the entry-level EHS4 has passed this key checkpoint ahead of its local launch.

Both the EHS4 and another electric SUV, the larger EHS5, are set to follow within six months of the E-HS9's local launch.

ADR documents for the EHS4 show it measures 4540mm long, 1890mm wide and 1655mm tall on a 2740mm wheelbase. That makes it 25mm longer and 5mm wider than the Leapmotor B10 on which it's based, on a 5mm longer wheelbase.

As with the B10, it features four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a five-link setup at the rear.

Its electric powertrain appears identical, with a single 160kW electric motor, while even the brake discs are the same size. Both the EHS4 and B10 ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, too.

While ADR documents don't list specifications such as torque or battery capacity, other global Hongqi markets have released these details.

The EHS4 produces 240Nm of torque and incorporates a 67.1kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and a 400V electrical system allowing a maximum DC fast-charge rate of 168kW.

These specifications are all identical to the Australian-market B10, not the Chinese-market B10 which has been updated with an 800V electrical system.

Hongqi has given the B10 new front-end styling and tweaked rear-end styling, as well as a restyled dashboard and door panels plus a new steering wheel.

However, the overall body remains the same, and the cabin continues to feature an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system like its B10 donor.

The EHS4 is already on sale in Nepal, where it’s priced from 59.99 lakh – around A$57,800, which is slightly more than the base price of the MG S5 EV in Nepal (55.99 lakh, or around A$54,000). For further reference, the MG S5 EV is priced from $41,990 drive-away in Australia.

Hongqi parent FAW and Leapmotor signed a strategic cooperation agreement in March 2025 to jointly develop a new global vehicle. The former subsequently agreed to invest 3.74 billion yuan in Leapmotor in December, in exchange for a five per cent stake.

Leapmotor's local boss, Andy Hoang, told CarExpert in October that he welcomes the competition with his brand's B10.

“Certainly, from our perspective, we can’t stop competition. And for us, it’s going to be up to customers to make their own choice on what best suits them – stack the cars up themselves, test drive the cars, what value’s on offer, what network support have you got after you purchased the car,” he told CarExpert.

When asked whether the fact a Leapmotor-based model will be sold here by a luxury brand – albeit one virtually unknown to Australians – will help the image of his value-priced brand, Mr Hoang said: “I don’t think it’ll hurt, if that’s the way they’re pitching it – I don’t think they’ll be pitching it that way.

“If customers see it that way, then I think… that won’t hurt us at all.”

The EHS4 is thus far the only Leapmotor-based model in Hongqi's sprawling global lineup, which includes everything from electric sedans to the new G919 rugged off-road SUV.

At the top of the Hongqi lineup are limousines for Chinese government officials, the type of vehicles the brand – China's oldest passenger-car brand – was built on.

The initial Hongqi lineup in Australia will be rounded out by the EHS5 mid-size electric SUV, which has yet to receive ADR certification.

It rides a new Tiangong architecture which also underpins the larger EHS7 SUV offered in some export markets.

The EHS5 only entered production in 2025, around five years after Hongqi started building the flagship E-HS9.

Hongqi, or HQ as it'll be known here, has a goal of initially selling 500 vehicles per month in Australia, with a long-term goal of selling 30,000 vehicles here annually. For context, BMW delivered 26,842 vehicles in Australia last year.

It’ll commence customer deliveries in mid-January 2027, with HQ Australia CEO and managing director Jim Wu telling CarExpert he expects the brand to be seen as being on the same level as BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, and to take market share from Range Rover.

Hongqi design is headed by Giles Taylor, previously of Rolls-Royce.

MORE: China's oldest auto brand locks in range of electric luxury SUVs for Australia, sedan set to follow
MORE: Budget Chinese brand welcomes luxury newcomer selling one of its models