Preview of the world premiere at the IAA Mobility in Munich: A head - to - head battle between BMW and Mercedes - Benz in the pure - electric vehicle segment. Will the Leapmotor B05 bring glory to domestic brands?

The Munich Auto Show is one of the world's earliest international auto shows. Its predecessor, the Frankfurt Auto Show, was founded in 1897. It is the largest and most influential auto show event in Europe. Global well - known automakers such as BMW, Mercedes - Benz, and Audi all unveil their latest products and technologies here, and it has the reputation of the "Olympics of the automotive industry".

The IAA2025 Munich Auto Show will kick off on September 8th. At that time, the team of Lei Technology/Evtong will travel all the way to Munich to comprehensively present this auto show. Please stay tuned. Before that, the new energy vehicles that will make their debut at the IAA2025 have been exposed in advance. Evtong will give you a little taste first to see what the highlights of these new cars are.

BMW iX3: Endorsed by the CEO, Is It Competitive Enough?

As the hometown of BMW, Munich will naturally have a "home - court show" at the IAA2025 auto show. BMW has already announced its exhibition lineup. Besides two MINI JCW concept cars, the all - new BMW iX3 is undoubtedly the focus. The official has pre - heated this new car many times before, and Oliver Zipse, the CEO of the BMW Group, even directly stated: "The all - new BMW iX3 will become an industry benchmark."

In the view of Evtong, there are basically two ways for an "industry benchmark" to emerge: either pioneer like the Tesla Model S, making pure - electric vehicles synonymous with high performance and high intelligence; or lead extremely like Volvo (in the field of safety) and the Mercedes - Benz S - Class (in the field of luxury sedans), far exceeding competitors in core dimensions.

Source: Official of BMW Group

So, is the "benchmark" all - new BMW iX3 in Zipse's words really a product with strong capabilities, or just the automaker's "self - praise"?

The official revealed that the all - new BMW iX3 is the first mass - produced model on the new - generation platform. The sixth - generation electric drive system installed in the new car performs particularly well in terms of energy efficiency: The self - developed battery installed increases the energy density by 20%. The vehicle's energy consumption is only 15 kWh/100 km, and the CLTC pure - electric range can reach 900 km. Moreover, the maximum charging power of the all - new BMW iX3 50 xDrive version is as high as 400 kW, and it can replenish more than 350 km of energy in 10 minutes of charging.

Compared with pure - electric mid - size SUVs such as the Tesla Model Y, NIO ES6, and Mercedes - Benz EQC, the advantages of the all - new BMW iX3 in terms of range and energy replenishment are obvious. In addition, the all - new BMW iX3 will continue to be equipped with the already released horizon panoramic display and four BMW supercomputers to ensure the driver's pure driving pleasure. At the same time, it has also undergone localization treatments for the Chinese market, such as lengthening the wheelbase and thickening and lengthening the rear seat cushion. As for more product highlights, the official will announce them during the IAA2025.

Source: Official of BMW Group

From the current market perspective, the iX3 has reached the threshold of "benchmark potential" in the three core dimensions of "range, energy replenishment, and driving pleasure" for pure - electric mid - size SUVs. However, a real industry benchmark is never self - proclaimed by an automaker. It needs to withstand the "voting with feet" of consumers and finally become the "long - term reference" in the segmented market.

Considering BMW's current overall performance in the pure - electric market, the all - new BMW iX3 may have the strength of a benchmark - level product, but it has not yet truly achieved a benchmark - level status. There is still a long way to go to reach this goal.

Mercedes - Benz GLC Electric Version: Battling the BMW iX3, but with Unobvious Advantages?

The BMW X3 and the Mercedes - Benz GLC have been competing for many years. Unexpectedly, in the new - energy era, the competition between these two models shows no sign of ending. During the IAA2025, BMW will debut the all - new BMW iX3, and Mercedes - Benz will also debut the all - new GLC electric version.

The official has released a preview image of the front face of the all - new GLC electric version. It can be seen that the new car attempts to break the industry design pattern of "pure - electric vehicles using closed grilles". Although the front grille of this new car uses a large - scale luminous design, this hollow design style is more reminiscent of traditional fuel - powered vehicles.

Source: Official of Mercedes - Benz

The Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version is built on the new MB.EA pure - electric platform and is also the first model on this platform, exactly the same as the all - new BMW iX3. Notably, the wheelbase of the Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version will be 80 mm longer than that of the fuel - powered GLC. Both the trunk space and the rear seating space have been improved, and an additional 128L front trunk is provided.

In addition, the new car will be equipped with an air suspension, support 800V technology, and can add about 260 km of range in the fastest 10 minutes of charging. The pure - electric range of the whole vehicle will exceed 650 km. It offers an optional 4.5° rear - wheel steering function and will launch a more powerful AMG version.

In comparison, although both are the first cars on new platforms, the range and energy - replenishment efficiency of the Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version are actually inferior to those of the all - new BMW iX3. And after the wheelbase is lengthened, the space difference between the two cars is not significant. Based on the currently known information, the Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version may not be as attractive as the all - new BMW iX3 during the IAA2025, unless the new black technologies released for this new car can really add points to it.

Source: Official of Mercedes - Benz

According to the plan, the all - new BMW iX3 will enter the Chinese market within this year, while the Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version has only announced that it will be introduced to China, but the specific time is undetermined. You know, not only Mercedes - Benz, but luxury brands generally have a weak user base in the domestic pure - electric market. If the Mercedes - Benz GLC electric version is preempted by the BMW iX3, it may hinder the brand's subsequent electrification layout.

Leapmotor B05: Aiming at the Rigid Demand in the European Market and Targeting the Volkswagen ID.3

On the day of the Leapmotor B01's launch, founder Zhu Jiangming dropped a bombshell: "A third new car will be launched at the Munich Auto Show this year." Considering the Leapmotor B10 and B01 that have been launched this year, the outside world speculates that this new car is most likely the Leapmotor B05, whose spy photos have been recently exposed. This is also the first domestic car announced to participate in the IAA2025.

Different from the compact - positioned B01, the Leapmotor B05 is more in line with the route of the Volkswagen ID.3, focusing on compact hatchbacks and breaking Leapmotor's traditional naming logic of "the larger the number, the higher the positioning".

Actually, Leapmotor's choice to debut the B05 in Europe is a "timely move". According to data released by "JATO Dynamics", among the 10 best - selling cars in Europe in 2024, hatchbacks accounted for 5. The Volkswagen Golf, Peugeot 208, Citroën C3, etc. are all popular models.

Source: Weibo @SugarDesign

For the European market, the advantages of hatchbacks are obvious: their compact bodies are suitable for narrow urban roads, and their storage capacity is even stronger than that of traditional sedans. Naturally, the market demand for them is much higher than that for sedans and SUVs.

Leapmotor, which has long had a global layout, quickly entered the European market through cooperation with the Stellantis Group. The global model B10 will be launched overseas in September this year, and the T03 and C10 have also opened up the market. According to the statistics of China's new - energy vehicle overseas sales data by the Passenger Car Association, Leapmotor exported a cumulative total of 24,980 vehicles in the first 7 months of this year, indicating that its global strategy has achieved results. With the introduction of the Leapmotor B10, Leapmotor is very likely to achieve its annual overseas sales target of 50,000 - 80,000 vehicles this year.

By debuting the pure - electric hatchback B05 in Europe this time, Leapmotor's goal is clear: to enhance brand influence by leveraging the market popularity of hatchbacks in Europe and to target the local high demand. It's not hard to see that the official has high expectations for the sales of the B05.

Polestar 5 Production Version: A "Domestic Performance Car" Relying on the European Market to Survive

As early as 2023, Polestar had released the prototype of the Polestar 5 and announced some core parameters of the new car. It wasn't until the IAA2025 that the official officially launched the Polestar 5 production version.

The prototype was actually very close to the production - car state, basically confirming the line direction of the Polestar 5. The only aspect that was somewhat different from the production - car state should be the lamp - group design. It's worth mentioning that the Polestar 5 will use a new modular aluminum platform specially developed for the Polestar brand to ensure the vehicle's lightweight, high strength, and high performance.

Source: Official of Polestar

In terms of performance, the Polestar 5 will use a dual - motor all - wheel - drive system, with a comprehensive parameter of up to 650 kW and 900 N·m. It can accelerate from 0 - 100 miles in less than 3 seconds, and its pure - electric range can reach 480 km.

Looking at it this way, the main competitors of the Polestar 5 are pure - electric performance sedans such as the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, and Audi e - tron GT. However, Polestar's prospects in the Chinese market are very bleak. Only 69 units of its three models were sold in the first half of this year, and it's hard to talk about competitiveness. Moreover, currently, the official no longer supports online ordering. Only the Polestar 4 provides a phone - contact option for purchasing, and the other models only have an entrance for "more details".

Screenshot: Polestar WeChat Mini - Program

However, Polestar's global market performance shows a relatively positive state. According to a report by "Sina Finance", in the first half of this year, Polestar sold a cumulative total of 30,000 vehicles globally, a year - on - year increase of 51%. The cumulative sales in the European market accounted for 75% of last year's total sales, making it the main force for the development of the Polestar brand.

As early as before the Beijing Auto Show last year, Polestar announced that the Polestar 5 was planned to be put into production at the Chongqing factory this year. Judging from the place of production, it is a veritable "domestic car". However, at present, Polestar's path in the Chinese market is blocked, and stabilizing the European market is obviously the top priority at the moment.

The New - Generation T - Roc Hybrid Version: Is Volkswagen in a Hurry, but Will It Work?

The all - new generation of the Volkswagen T - Roc (known as the Volkswagen Tharu in China) will be unveiled at the Munich Auto Show and will be delivered next year. The core highlight of this generation change is that it will be equipped with Volkswagen's first mass - produced 1.5T gasoline - electric hybrid system and supports pure - electric driving. This is a power configuration that has never appeared in Volkswagen's mass - produced models.

However, the official has not yet announced the key data of this hybrid system, such as the pure - electric range and the fuel consumption in the power - depleted state. Thomas Schäfer, the CEO of the Volkswagen Group, clearly stated that in the future, the adaptability of this power system to other models will be evaluated, but not all models of the brand will be equipped with this system.