What’s the point in Lepas? Chery’s new brand will sell almost the same Chinese cars as it does – Car Magazine
► New Lepas brand to launch in UK and Europe
► Brand is from within Chery International group
► Planned cars all look near identical the Tiggo 7, 8 and 9…
Chery International, not satisfied with launching itself as a brand on top of Jaecoo and Omoda in Europe, has announced that the Lepas name will launch here too.
Like Jaecoo and Omoda, Lepas is an export-only brand, and one that’s self-described as having a ‘bolder’ identity, and one that is ‘more imaginative, packed with smart technology and thoughtful design.’ Curious about the name? Lepas says it’s a three-way portmanteau of ‘leopard’, ‘leap’ and ‘passion.’ Do feel free to cringe in your own time. It follows other bangers such as Jaecoo, which is a combination of jaeger (the German for hunter) and cool. There’s also Omoda, which is O for oxygen and moda, for fashion.
Chery is naturally buoyed by its success in Europe, particularly with the Jaecoo brand here in the UK. It went from selling nothing to almost 30,000 Jaecoo models in the space of a year here, outdoing the likes of Citroën and Honda. The announcement of the Lepas brand launch came after a retailer conference that ‘reflected on the group’s 2025 achievements.’
Lepas already sells cars in markets, such as Malaysia, named Lepas L4, L6 and L8 (pictured), with the brand saying that its first car launching here in the UK will be announced soon. The slight snag is that these cars wearing the Lepas brand name elsewhere in the world in markets like Malaysia look almost exactly the same as Chery’s own Tiggo 7, 8 and 9.
In the short term, it’s hard to see the point of the Lepas brand if it’s merely selling near-exact clones of Chery models, given Chery’s own fledgling growth in the increasingly saturated UK market. That said, Lepas has also confirmed L1, L2 and L3 models which may be more bespoke.
We’ll have to wait and see what Lepas’ plans are here in the UK, as the brand says it is in the process of a ‘phased introduction’ that includes ‘leadership appointments, retailer plans and the brand’s ambition to establish itself as a distinctive new presence in the UK market.’ CAR will be watching for that last point very closely.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR’s Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake’s day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR’s news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he’s not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he’s usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR’s news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist
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