Leapmotor Calls MG4 XPower 'Undriveable' — Is It Right?

Chinese EV brand Leapmotor hasn't held back in its assessment of one of Australia's best-selling performance hatches — calling the MG4 XPower "undriveable" and promising its own upcoming B05 Ultra will do things properly.

It's a bold claim, but one that's worth unpacking for WA buyers who are increasingly weighing up Chinese EVs as serious alternatives to more established names.

What Leapmotor Actually Said

The comments came from Alexis Cieslewicz, Leapmotor's Head of Product Marketing in Europe, who is overseeing the rollout of the brand's performance-focused B05 Ultra. When discussing how much power the Ultra would pack, he pointed directly at the MG4 XPower as a cautionary example.

"I am also looking for a good compromise between power and control," Cieslewicz said. "Because we do not want to have something like the MG4 [XPower], which has 470 horsepower, but it is undriveable."

The MG4 XPower produces around 300kW and is one of the most talked-about affordable performance EVs on the Australian market right now. Whether you agree with Leapmotor's assessment or not, it's a direct shot at a rival that's been shifting serious numbers locally.

What's Actually Coming to Australia

The standard Leapmotor B05 is already confirmed for Australia later this year, producing 160kW and 240Nm. That's a competent but unremarkable output for the segment — think practical daily driver rather than tyre-shredder.

The Ultra variant is a different story. In China, it already exists with 180kW and 320Nm, but Leapmotor has made clear that the version heading to Australia and Europe won't simply be a rebadged Chinese spec car.

The standard B05 was completely retuned by Alfa Romeo engineers at the Balocco Proving Ground in Italy, with suspension mounting points physically changed to lower the centre of gravity. Leapmotor describes the result as a "different animal" to its Chinese counterpart — and the same treatment, possibly more, is planned for the Ultra.

"We are discussing that (Europe's Ultra) is not that car. It is not the Chinese car — that is a body kit. And we want to do it a little bit better than that. But the sky is the limit," said Danilo Annese, the brand's Head of Commercial Operations in Europe.

The Ultra is expected to arrive in the later stages of next year, so WA buyers won't be getting keys any time soon — but it's a model to watch.

What This Means for WA Buyers

For drivers in Perth and regional WA, the EV performance segment is getting genuinely competitive. The MG4 XPower already has a strong local following, and if Leapmotor can back up its talk with a well-sorted Ultra that handles WA's mix of city stop-start and long open highway runs — think the Great Eastern or the Brand Highway at a cruise — it could be a real contender.

The key question is whether Leapmotor can deliver on chassis dynamics rather than just headline kilowatt figures. Big power numbers mean very little on a wet Tonkin Highway on-ramp if the car can't put it down cleanly.

WA buyers have seen enough overhyped performance claims to be sceptical. If the B05 Ultra arrives properly sorted, it'll speak for itself. Until then, the MG4 XPower still holds the court.