Chery puts new Lepas vehicles through their paces in Australian testing program

Chery plans to launch a handful of additional brands to Australia, and the first cab off the rank will be Lepas.

The Chinese automaker has just completed an “extensive” local testing and adaptation program of its vehicles.

The new brand, which only exists outside of China, will debut here in November 2026 with the electric L6 SUV becoming its first model here. Pricing, specifications and launch timing for Lepas models will be announced closer to the brand’s debut.

The testing program was conducted by a team of local engineering specialists, as well as some from Chery’s Chinese head office.

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Prototype vehicles have been tested across thousands of kilometres on “some of Australia’s most challenging roads”, says Chery, including a mix of urban, regional and rural roads.

Engineers were tasked with adjusting the performance of active safety and driver assist features, including making sure these worked with Australian road markings, signage and driving environments.

They were also tasked with fine-tuning software integration and overall vehicle refinement, and ensuring the air-conditioning works well in our hot climates.

"Australia presents some of the toughest vehicle conditions anywhere in the world," said Lepas Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris in a release.

"Road surfaces vary enormously, distances are long, temperatures can be extreme and customers have very high expectations for ride, handling and refinement.

"Rather than simply bringing a global vehicle to market, we've invested significant time validating and tuning Lepas for Australian conditions, and will provide confidence for our customers”

The electric L6 is thus far the only Lepas vehicle confirmed for Australia, and straddles the small and medium SUV segments, making it Chery's most direct rival yet for the BYD Atto 3 and Geely EX5.

It features a 160kW/275Nm single electric motor with a claimed 450km of range on an unspecified test cycle from a 65kWh battery. A combustion-powered L6 is also offered in some overseas markets, with a markedly different front fascia.

Lepas is also expected to launch the smaller L4 and larger L8 in Australia, with the brand claiming it will offer a “new generation of bold, design-led SUVs that blend passion with practicality”, along with bold exterior colours.

Chery hasn’t confirmed what Lepas’ retail strategy will be in Australia, and if the brand will be sold in dealerships alongside the existing Chery and Omoda Jaecoo brands.

But with a range of crossover SUVs, Lepas’ lineup will overlap heavily with those of the existing Chery and Omoda Jaecoo brands in Australia, both of which offer small SUVs (Jaecoo J5, Chery C5/E5 and Tiggo 4) and medium SUVs (Jaecoo J7, Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8).

The launch of Lepas is part of a bewildering global strategy by the Chery Group, which set a new annual export record last year with 1,344,020 units – an increase of 17.4 per cent. Exports accounted for 48 per cent of its total sales.

Lepas is a genus of goose barnacles, but Chery says the name is a portmanteau of ‘leopard’ and ‘passion’.

Chery already has its namesake brand here, plus Omoda Jaecoo – an export-only brand like Lepas – and is planning even more arrivals after Lepas touches down.

iCaur, a brand specialising in boxy electrified SUVs, is expected in 2027, with Freelander, another brand set to offer boxy electrified SUVs, due mid-late 2027.

Jetour, another Chery brand, has also confirmed its intentions to launch in the Australian market. It’s understood this brand will operate separately from the rest of the Chery menagerie.

Soueast, acquired by Chery in 2024, has confirmed it’s eyeing right-hand drive markets, though it hasn't announced an Australian-market entry yet.

Other Chery brands yet to announce Australian plans include Luxeed, a premium brand developed in partnership with electronics giant Huawei, and Exeed, which is among Chery’s oldest brands and specialises in premium SUVs, and exports vehicles to markets like the Middle East. One Exeed model, the RX, is already sold here as the Omoda 9.

Light commercial vehicle brand Rely has also been revived by Chery, though it’s unlikely for Australia given the Chinese automaker has already confirmed it will sell the upcoming Stockman ute under its namesake brand.

MORE: Chery launching its third auto brand in Australia in four years