Lepas, a new premium-leaning brand from Chinese carmaker Chery, has opened order books in Australia for its first model, the L6 BEV Signature, a five-seat mid-size electric SUV priced from $47,990 before on-road costs. First customer deliveries are scheduled for November 2026.
The launch price includes premium paint as an introductory offer worth $800, and Black is available at no cost as a pre-sale exclusive.
One grade, one battery, one colour inside
The L6 BEV Signature is the only grade confirmed for Australia, and its name carries the BEV tag because a plug-in hybrid version is expected to cost less when it reaches local showrooms in 2027.
Power comes from a single front-mounted motor producing 160kW and 275Nm, drawing from a 65kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a claimed 440km of range on the WLTP cycle. DC charging peaks at 120kW, enough for a 30 to 80 per cent top-up in about 22 minutes.
The same powertrain serves the UK-market L6 BEV, which claims 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds and a 179km/h top speed.
Dimensions come in at 4570mm long, 1852mm wide and 1694mm tall on a 2700mm wheelbase. The SUV rides on the LEX platform, which Chery says was developed specifically for Lepas and is not shared with its other sub-brands such as Omoda Jaecoo, iCaur or Jetour.
Kit includes 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights with intelligent beam assist and electric mirrors with puddle lights. Purple, Orange and Grey are premium colours, White is the standard finish, and Beige is the sole interior option for Australia.
How it stacks up on price
At $47,990 before on-roads, the Lepas costs more than two similarly sized rivals: the BYD Atto 3 Evo and Geely EX5, which both start at $41,990 before on-road costs. It matches the Skoda Elroq 60 Select at the same figure before on-roads, and sits alongside the MG S5 EV Essence 62 at $47,990 drive-away.
That pricing puts Lepas in the middle of a crowded field rather than undercutting it, so the brand will need its equipment list and dealer network to do the persuading. The introductory paint offer and free Black trim soften the entry cost slightly, but the $6000 gap to BYD and Geely is the hurdle for a brand with no established service history here.
A five-model plan and a growing dealer network
Lepas will sell through both Chery dealerships and standalone sites, targeting 40 open locations by the end of 2026. Four more model lines are planned: the smaller L4 BEV SUV arrives in December 2026, the larger L8 and L9 SUVs follow in 2027 and 2028, and the L2 hatchback lands in 2028.
The two-row L6 is the opening move in that rollout, and the pace of the expansion, five lines inside roughly two years, is aggressive for a brand launching from scratch. Whether the standalone dealer sites materialise alongside the Chery network will shape how easy the cars are to service and buy outside major cities.
