Chery has a lot planned for South Africa over the coming months, including the launch of a new car brand known as Lepas.
Lepas (a combination of the words “leap” and “passion”) is a brand-new marque that recently made its international debut at the 2025 Chery Global Business Conference in China.
At the event, it was confirmed that the brand will go on sale in markets worldwide within the next year.
This includes South Africa, which means Lepas will officially be the sixth carmaker to come out of the Chery Automotive Group alongside Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, and iCar.
It’s important to note that, while Lepas is part of Chery, it will launch as an independent brand in South Africa and will feature its own dealership network.
To get a sense of just how new Lepas is, the carmaker has only just started to produce its first model – the L8 – at Chery’s factory in Wuhu, China.
However, a Chery representative confirmed that two more models – the smaller L4 and L6 – are also in the works.
First look at the L8
TopAuto was able to preview the L8 while attending a Chery event in Wuhu, showcasing the design language that we can expect from the new carmaker.
It’s fair to say that the L8’s general size and shape are quite similar to the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro SUV.
However, its exact measurements are slightly smaller at 4,688mm in length, 1,860mm in width, and 1,695mm in height.
The L8’s body is much sleeker than that of the Tiggo 8, which is likely in reference to the fact that the Lepas name is meant to evoke images of a leopard.
The new automaker is intended to be an upmarket brand in South Africa, which is evident from the interior styling.
The cabin itself has a clean and minimalist look, which is accentuated by the rather striking two-tone leather upholstery.
The display model we saw in Wuhu featured a pale green-and-black aesthetic, which mirrored the exterior’s colour scheme.
Like many cars from the Chery family, there’s a two-tier centre console with a lower storage deck, a large armrest, two cupholders, and a wireless charging pad.
It also has a 13.2-inch portrait infotainment screen, automatic climate control, and a floating digital driver display.
Unfortunately, Chery has yet to reveal any details about the powertrain selection, but the Tiggo Pro family may serve as an indication of what to expect.
As a reference, the Tiggo 8 is sold with two petrol engines, starting with a 1.6-litre turbo good for 145kW and 290Nm.
There’s also a more powerful 2.0-litre turbo option, which raises the output to 187kW and 390Nm.
Furthermore, it’s reasonable to assume that the L8 will eventually be offered with an electrified powertrain, as Chery plans to launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Tiggo 8 in South Africa in the near future.
Lepas L8
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