Leapmotor admits intrusive safety systems still need work

Leapmotor admits it has more work to do to make its driver-assistance systems less intrusive, even as it targets five-star safety ratings across its expanding model range.

The Chinese automaker is reducing the volume of warning sounds, refining how its vehicles intervene through the steering, and introducing shortcuts that make individual systems easier to deactivate.

However, Leapmotor acknowledges an easier off switch is not a substitute for developing safety systems that work properly in the first place.

Speaking with media, including CarExpert, at the international launch of the B03X in Spain, Leapmotor International global head of brand strategy, product and marketing Francesco Giacalone said the company was working on the "ability to turn off, ability to lower the feeling of intrusivity".

Leapmotor is introducing a swipe-down menu and configurable driver profiles, as rolled out in recent times by other Chinese brands such as MG, allowing owners to reach commonly used safety settings without navigating through several layers of the infotainment system.

Mr Giacalone said strong independent safety ratings were important to Leapmotor as it expanded internationally, particularly as a relatively young Chinese brand competing against manufacturers with decades of experience.

The B03X is equipped with seven airbags and 21 advanced driver-assistance systems, supported by 14 sensors and cameras. Leapmotor is targeting a five-star result when the vehicle is independently assessed, with testing expected in early 2027.

Leapmotor has demonstrated it can meet the current Australian benchmark with another model. The B05 electric hatch received a five-star ANCAP safety rating in September 2026 under ANCAP's new 2026-28 assessment criteria.

It achieved a 92 per cent Crash Protection score, with ANCAP highlighting its side-impact protection, lane-departure collision avoidance and whiplash performance.

That result applies to the B05, not the B03X, but it supports Leapmotor's argument that an affordable vehicle can achieve a strong independent safety result.

The more difficult question is whether its assistance systems can do so without frustrating the driver.

When asked why a five-star vehicle couldn't have safety technology that worked quietly in the background, Mr Giacalone rejected the suggestion that the issue was simply a consequence of building cars to a lower price.

"I think it's a matter of iteration, learn iteration, learn," he said.

He acknowledged established automakers had accumulated decades of experience developing and calibrating safety technology, while Leapmotor was still building that expertise.

Mr Giacalone described some audible warnings in the company's earlier vehicles as "extremely disturbing" and said their volume had since been reduced.

He said Leapmotor was also trying to reduce the level of physical intervention from functions such as lane-keep assist.

Some alerts are influenced by European regulatory requirements and safety-assessment protocols, but the company accepts it still controls how accurately and smoothly they operate within those rules.

The purpose of driver-assistance technology is defeated when owners routinely switch it off because it's noisy, inaccurate or unpredictable.

Leapmotor believes its software-led architecture will allow it to improve these systems faster than within the traditional model development cycles of rival brands. Warning sounds, steering assistance and other electronically controlled behaviour can be revised through software, including after a vehicle has left the factory.

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