The Chinese car brand Lepas is set to debut in South Africa later this year.
Lepas, for those who aren’t aware, is a new brand under the Chery Holding Group that made an appearance at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year.
The name is a combination of the words ‘Leap’ and ‘Passion,’ which is a naming convention we’ve seen before with Jaecoo (Jaeger + Cool).
Although the company only started producing cars this year, it is already on track to launch in South Africa with its first three SUVs – the L4, L6, and L8.
In a recent press release, Lepas stated that it has an ambitious product roadmap where the L8 and L4 will arrive in South Africa later this year, with the L6 to follow soon after.
While no specific dates were mentioned, the automaker previously indicated that we could expect the L6 to land in the first quarter of 2026.
What to expect
Lepas has yet to reveal the specifications for any of its cars, but TopAuto previously had an opportunity to preview the L8 while visiting China earlier this year.
The main takeaway is that each of Lepas’s vehicles appears to be closely based on models from Chery’s Tiggo Pro SUV family, sharing the same platform and engines.
The L4, as you may have assumed from its number, will be the entry-level model in the series, and is reportedly based on the Chery Tiggo Cross.
As a reminder, the Tiggo Cross on sale in South Africa is actually the facelifted version of the Tiggo 4 Pro, though Chery opted to sell the model under a different name while keeping the older car around as a more affordable alternative.
With this in mind, the L4 will likely be offered with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that develops 108kW and 210Nm.
It’s also worth noting that Chery recently launched a hybrid model for the Tiggo Cross that combines a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine with a small electric motor to produce 150kW and 310Nm.
Lepas has made no mention of bringing a hybrid to South Africa, but we’d be surprised if they didn’t, considering that other Chery-affiliated brands like Omoda and Jaecoo also sell electrified models.
Moving on, the L6 will presumably be based on the Chery Tiggo 7 and serve as the mid-range option in the Chinese carmaker’s catalogue.
Power should be provided by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol block, which puts out a total of 145kW and 290Nm.
The L8, meanwhile, shares a platform with the Tiggo 8 is expected to feature a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol mill good for 187kW and 390Nm.
Both the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 are available with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it remains to be seen whether Lepas will offer the technology on the L6 and L8 at launch, or if these will follow at a later date.
The main difference between the Lepas cars and their Chery counterparts seemingly comes down to styling, as Lepas is marketed as a premium alternative to its parent company.
While Chery’s models have fairly muscular proportions, Lepas uses a sleeker design inspired by its “Leopard Aesthetics.”
In keeping with this theme, the cars also have a distinctive set of slim LED headlights and daytime running lights that are meant to resemble the eyes of a big cat.
Pricing and features will only be announced closer to launch, but expect the L4, L6, and L8 to offer a similar spec sheet to what you can find on an equivalent Chery.
The L8 we previewed in China had two large floating screens for the driver and infotainment systems, a wireless charging pad, a panoramic sunroof, and eye-catching two-tone mint green and black leather upholstery, for example.
Lepas L8 in Wuhu, China
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