Lepas L6: Chery Group’s Fourth Brand Confirms Australian Launch in Q4 2026

Chery Group is bringing yet another brand to Australia, and this time it is aiming squarely at the heart of the electric mid-size SUV segment with the Lepas L6.

Chery Group has announced that Lepas, its newest export brand, will launch in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2026 starting with the L6 electric SUV. The announcement was made by Lepas Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris with full pricing and specifications to follow closer to the on-sale date. It is the fourth Chery Group brand confirmed for the Australian market joining Chery, Omoda Jaecoo, and the upcoming Freelander.

The L6 is a five-seat mid-size SUV built on Chery’s modular new energy vehicle platform. In BEV form, it draws power from a 67kWh battery producing 160kW and 275Nm with an estimated Australian-market range of 450km. Rapid charging is supported at up to 120kW DC, with a 30-to-80 per cent charge achievable in around 20 minutes. Those figures put it in the ballpark of its key Australian rivals, though not ahead of them.

The Lepas brand

Lepas is not a new startup. It is Chery International’s premium-positioned export brand conceived specifically for international markets and unveiled in late 2024. The name reportedly blends “leopard” and “passion”, and the brand’s design language, described as “leopard aesthetics” runs through the slim LED lighting signatures, wide stance, and confident exterior proportions of the L6. The brand already has a foothold in Indonesia and the Middle East and is launching in the UK in Q4 2026 with both the L6 and the larger L8 SUV.

The flagship model in the Lepas lineup is actually the L8, a plug-in hybrid that uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine paired with an electric motor for a claimed combined range north of 700 miles. The L8 will follow the L6 to Australia in 2027, alongside the smaller L4 and Lepas’s first sedan models. Chery’s ambition for the brand globally is significant: 500,000 annual units within three years of launch.

What the L6 is up against

The mid-size electric SUV segment in Australia is now genuinely competitive. The BYD Sealion 7 starts from $54,990 before on-roads and has established itself as one of the top-selling EVs in the country. The Tesla Model Y starts from $58,900. The Zeekr 7X enters from $57,900 and earned the 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year award for best medium electric SUV. Kia’s EV5 rounds out the mainstream options from $64,770. Every one of these models brings either a stronger brand presence, a larger battery, faster charging, or all three.

On raw numbers, the L6 BEV’s 450km claimed range and 120kW peak charge rate are competitive for daily use, but not class-leading. The Zeekr 7X supports up to 200kW DC charging. The Tesla Model Y Long Range exceeds 500km. Where Lepas will need to differentiate is on interior execution, pricing, and the appeal of something genuinely design-led in a segment that trends conservative.

The interior of the L6 takes a minimalist approach with a 13.2-inch central touchscreen and an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster shared with other Chery Group models. A panoramic glass roof is standard. The marketing language leans heavily on “premium materials” and “refined comfort” which are claims that will need backing up with a competitive driveaway price when it arrives.

Chery Group’s growing footprint in Australia

Chery’s Australian comeback since relaunching as a factory-backed operation in 2023 has been substantial. The group now claims to be a top-five automaker in Australia by combined brand sales. The Jaecoo J5 EV posted more than 1,100 sales in its first months on Australian roads. Chery’s stated goal is for the Chery brand itself to reach the top five by 2027, with Omoda Jaecoo not far behind.

Adding Lepas to that portfolio brings some natural tension. Four brands from the same parent company selling five-seat SUVs in the same price brackets is a crowded lineup. Chery’s answer has been to position each brand with distinct retail channels: Lepas will operate its own standalone dealer network separate from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo. Whether that structural separation translates into genuinely differentiated customer experience remains to be seen.

What Lepas needs to get right

The timing is not bad. By the time the L6 reaches showrooms in Q4 2026 Australian consumers will be familiar with Chinese electric SUVs. Charging infrastructure is expanding. The fear and scepticism that met early Chinese EV launches has largely dissipated, replaced by a market where buyers are making buying decisions based on value, range, and software. That is exactly the territory Lepas is targeting.

At the same time the bar has moved. Arriving in the segment now means going up against cars that have already banked thousands of satisfied owners, established service networks, and word-of-mouth credibility. The BYD Sealion 7 for instance uses BYD’s own Blade Battery chemistry and has an established service footprint across Australia. The Zeekr 7X brings an 800V architecture and lightning fast charging speeds. Lepas will need a sharp price and a convincing interior to earn a place in that company.

The PHEV variant confirmed for other markets, which pairs a 1.5-litre engine with an electric motor for a claimed range beyond 700 miles, is not part of the Australian launch lineup. Although it is expected here in 2027. For a country where long interstate drives remain a practical consideration for a portion of the buying public, that powertrain could prove more relevant than the BEV in some use cases.

Full Australian specifications, pricing, and dealer network details will be confirmed closer to launch. The Q4 2026 window leaves Lepas a few months to sharpen its pitch. The segment is not forgiving of a soft landing.

Predicted Specifications