Lepas L6 EV leads Australian debut

Chery sub-brand Lepas has launched in Australia with its first model arriving in October, targeting what the company describes as, “a customer nobody in the category is talking to: the vibrant expressionist”, with the L6 EV medium SUV followed by another three SUVs and a small hatch within 12 months.

Lepas will launch with its first model, the L6 EV, in October, with its first public viewing at the Everything Electric show at Sydney Olympic Park on 18 September.

Speaking at the brand launch in Sydney last week, Chery Group Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris said Lepas is targeting city-dwelling 25 to 59-year-olds, the majority of them women.

These buyers, he added, “put thought into what they eat, what they wear, where they travel. Then they walk into a showroom, and are handed something beige. That’s the gap; that’s who the brand is for”.

Lepas will offer a seven-year/unlimited-km warranty, and includes seven years of capped-price servicing and roadside assistance for the same period. The EV battery warranty is eight years/200,000km.

Lepas will be sold through around 40 dealers nationwide. With up to 40 per cent of components shared with other Chery Group brands, Lepas will also rely on the already established Chery Australia parts and support network.

The L6 initially arrives in a single high-spec trim grade as a battery-electric vehicle only. The L6 LSH plug-in hybrid, with around 100km of driving range, will arrive in 2027.

Meanwhile, the L6 EV will compete with other battery-electric medium SUVs such as the Geely EX5 and MG S5 EV. While pricing has not yet been announced, it is expected to sell in the low-to-mid-$40K range.

With a WLTP energy consumption figure of 17.5kWh/100km and a 445km driving range, the L6’s 65kWh battery feeds a 160kW/275Nm electric motor driving the front wheels. Using DC fast charging, the battery can be replenished from 30 to 80 per cent in approximately 22 minutes.

Confirmed at the brand launch was the Australian-market L6 EV specification, which includes heated and cooled front seats, a panoramic sunroof with powered sunshade, synthetic leather seats, ambient lighting, a powered tailgate, an 8.8-inch driver display, a 13.2-inch infotainment screen, an eight-speaker Sony sound system, 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic and remote parking assist, a 360-degree around-view monitor, seven airbags and the usual suite of advanced driver assistance systems.

Five exterior colours, including brighter hues such as orange and purple, will be offered on the L6.

Suspension has been tuned in Europe, reducing body roll by seven per cent compared with some existing brand products, according to Harris. He added that L6 ADAS calibration has been undertaken in Australia.

The L6 EV will be joined by the L4 EV small SUV by January, while the L8 and L9 large SUVs and L2 small hatchback will flesh out the full Lepas range by Christmas 2027.

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