Leapmotor has previewed its upcoming Volkswagen ID 3 rival ahead of a debut at the Munich motor show next week.

The Stellantis-backed Chinese brand published a series of shadowy teaser images to its Weibo account, giving a first look at the sub-£30k B05 electric hatchback that will join its European line-up early next year.

Known in China as the Lafa 5, the B05 is effectively a lower-slung and more affordable version of the Leapmotor B10 crossover (due here in the coming months) and will sit between that and the T03 city car.

Leapmotor vice-president Cao Li said the B05 is a "gift" for young people worldwide. "We want to build a dream car for young people who refuse to settle, conform or be ordinary," he added.

The B05 is expected to measure around 4.3 metres long, have a 67.1kWh battery giving 260 miles of range and be powered by a single motor on the front axle giving 215bhp.

These figures line it up neatly as a rival to versions of the popular ID 3, MG 4 EV, BYD Dolphin and Renault Megane.

Inside, it is likely to look all but identical to the B10 (below), having a minimalist cockpit that majors on digital functionality - with a 14.6in touchscreen and 8.8in instrument display handling all the main infotainment and control functions.

The B05 will be the fourth of six Leapmotor cars that are planned to be on sale in the UK by 2027. It will be followed next year by the A10, a small crossover conceived as a rival for the Volkswagen ID 2X, and its hatchback sibling, the circa-£20k A05. 

It remains unclear if Leapmotor will offer any of its new models with the range-extender powertrain that it has recently introduced to the C10 SUV, with bosses suggesting they will be gauging market reaction to the technology.

Leapmotor's range expansion comes off the back of rapid growth for the 10-year-old brand, both in its Chinese home market and internationally.

It now has nearly 1500 retail sites worldwide and was the 11th most popular EV brand globally last year.

It aims to move up to ninth this year, then to seventh in 2026, ultimately aiming to become one of the world's five top EV brands.