Chery's Lepas previews more aggressive design language with new shooting brake concept

Chery’s latest brand in Australia may be launching with fairly conventionally styled SUVs, but it has teased a more dynamic design direction.

Revealed at the inaugural Lepas Global Elegant Lifestyle Week in Wuhu, China, the Lepas Aura Concept is the fledgling brand’s first concept car, “offering the clearest vision yet of the future direction for the new-energy vehicle brand”.

The sleek three-door shooting brake concept shows a second-generation design language for Lepas.

It features the pronounced shoulder lines and haunches of existing Lepas models, but with more dramatic proportions emphasised by its long wheelbase, short overhangs and wide stance.

Up front, it differs from existing Lepas models with a new face, integrating the grille and side air intakes in one large black surface area, giving it a more aggressive look.

The Aura concept also integrates what Lepas calls a “digital canvas” in its front fascia, allowing you to personalise the vehicle with unique graphics, lighting and animations.

Likewise, there’s an elliptical rear display that “opens up new opportunities for personalised tail-light signatures” – something Lepas says will allow owners to, “in a way, become the designer of their own car”.

The Aura concept debuts three paint colours that draw inspiration from natural landscapes at different times of day: Dawn Pearl being inspired by a Tahitian sunrise; Bacalar Blue simulating the waters of the Bacalar Lagoon in Mexico; and Provence Twilight drawing on lavender fields at dusk.

Lepas executives have also shown CarExpert an upcoming production vehicle, the small L2 hatch due in 2028, that further demonstrates this athletic look.

The brand is now pitching itself as a more premium alternative to Chery’s established Chery and Omoda Jaecoo marques.

Lepas has already revealed a trio of SUVs – the small L4 and mid-size L6 and L8 – with the L6 the first to reach Australia, arriving in showrooms over the coming weeks.

Chery's global design chief Steve Eum has said he drew from a range of influences for the L6 EV, including, varyingly, porcelain, pebbles, waves, ballerinas and high-end fashion. The Aura also features “porcelain-inspired surfacing”.

But perhaps Lepas’ key design inspiration is the leopard, with its vehicles’ headlights – including those of the new Aura concept – inspired by the eyes of the big cat. The feline inspiration can also be seen in the SUVs’ rear haunches.

Why the leopard? Because Lepas’ name is a portmanteau of 'leopard' and 'passion'.

"The Aura’s stance follows the running leopard; it is lean, forward and efficient,” said Lepas chief designer Ivan Dulanovic at the Lepas Global Elegance Night.

“It is our interpretation of the leopard's power. It is not exaggerated and it is certainly not decorated, it is simply present. And that is how we imagine that strength looks when it doesn’t need to prove itself.”

It's unlikely Lepas will launch a sporty three-door wagon based on the Aura concept – though a wagon isn't out of the question, given how many Chinese brands are launching such models – it plans to expand beyond its initial SUV-only lineup with models like the upcoming L2 hatch.

Before then, it'll launch the L4 and L8 SUVs, as well as the as-yet unrevealed L9 SUV.

“What you’re going to notice over time across the whole group is an even further departure from one another from an aesthetic point of view," Chery Motor Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris told CarExpert.

That's important, given by the end of next year Chery will have a whopping eight brands in Australia: Chery, Omoda Jaecoo, Lepas, Exlantix, Freelander, iCaur, Jetour and Luxeed.

Lepas is establishing its own separate dealer network in Australia, though it'll tap Chery's existing back-end infrastructure, from parts distribution to finance departments.

"We will be freestanding for as long as we exist, which is forever," Lepas Australia boss Brad Ryan told CarExpert earlier this month.

"How we’re going to justify having our own dealer presence is we will have a full range of vehicles that they can sell that will make them all the money they need to continue. There’s another couple of [models coming]; before you even blink we could be up to nine, before I’ve barely got my feet under the desk.

"In a couple years’ time, it’ll be more than most of our dealers can handle without expansion."

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