Staid Chinese brand Leapmotor has turned to the oldest trick in the book to sex up its C10 - it has teamed with a German tuning house. Photo: Leapmotor International Leapmotor International Staid Chinese EV brand Leapmotor has taken a page from every German automaker to sex up its spacious and affordable C10 - it has turned to a German tuning house. Leapmotor and German customizer and tuning firm Irmscher have teamed up to develop a “special series” of the mid-sized electric C10 SUV, with more power, more speed and more acceleration. And, of course, a stronger, sportier look. Irmscher and Leapmotor will build 250 of the special series cars, based around the dual-motor, 800 Volt version of the C10 due to be revealed during October’s Zurich motor show. There are not mentions of the performance of the Irmscher-spec C10, but Chinese trademark filings show the standard dual-motor C10 will have 436kW (595hp) and is claimed to punch to 62mph in four seconds, which is quite the leap from the single-motor C10’s 7.5-second sprint. It also scores a larger 81.9kWh lithium-ion battery pack, up from the standard single motor version’s 69.9kWh. While AMG and Brabus have historical ties to Mercedes-Benz and Alpina to BMW, Irmscher’s lineage is connected to both Opel and Isuzu, and it is particularly famed for its 1980s alloy wheel rims. MORE FOR YOU Red lighting and writing features prominently on the teaser images of the Irmscher Leapmotor C10. Photo: Leapmotor International. Leapmotor International But with Opel now in the Stellantis fold and Isuzu’s focus on commercial vehicles, the European options for Irmscher were bare, until Leapmotor came knocking with what it calls a “long-term collaboration”, according to Leapmotor Germany CEO Martin Resch. “By collaborating with Irmscher, a traditional German company, we are continuing on our current path: We are bringing together the best of both worlds – the speed and technology of a Chinese high-tech startup and German design and customization expertise,” Resch said. “This project is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of the Leapmotor brand and to give it an emotional boost.” Irmscher was founded in 1968, but never quite gained the international fame of the more illustrious German tuners like Brabus, AMG, Alpina, ABT, Ruf, Gumpert and Wiesmann. It has released only a handful of teaser images of its new collaboration’s first offspring, featuring sportier wheels, a new front bumper design and a theme of red lighting and moods. It isn’t a product of Leapmotor HQ in China, but of the Leapmotor International joint venture with Stellantis to export cars to foreign markets. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions