The roll out of Chery’s new Lepas brand continues, with the UK set to receive it in the third quarter of the year. The first new model will be the L8, a flagship SUV that already been launched in Indonesia, debuting there in November ahead of deliveries starting in April. Essentially the export version of China’s new second-generation Chery Tiggo 8, the L8 is built on Chery’s all-new LEX new energy vehicle platform. Unlike the outgoing Tiggo 8, this car is a solely a five-seater and measures just three millimetres longer (4,725 mm), even though the wheelbase has been stretched by some 115 mm (2,825 mm). The L8 sports Lepas’ simple, rounded design language said to be inspired by pottery, with “leopard’s eye” daytime running lights and vertical headlights flanking a large rectangular grille. There are also flush door handles, while the rear end is slightly derivative with Porsche Macan-style full-width taillights. The shoulders and flanks are supposed to evoke the haunches and abdomen of a leopard, but we don’t see it. Inside, you get a minimalist dashboard with a waterfall centre console housing a 13.2-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, with the driver facing a 10.25-inch instrument display and a steering wheel from the Omoda C7. In Indonesia, the L8 is offered solely as a plug-in hybrid, using the same Super Hybrid System (SHS) as the Jaecoo J7, Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 PHEVs. This combines a 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder, an electric motor and a single-speed dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT), producing a combined output of 275 PS and 365 Nm of torque. Lepas claims a pure EV range of 107 km and a total range of 1,200 km. Contrast this to China, where the new Tiggo 8 is powered by a carryover 1.6 litre turbo making 200 PS and 310 Nm of torque, allied to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The mill, in slightly detuned form, was only recently introduced in Malaysia on the non-Pro, first-generation Tiggo 8 (confusing, huh?) last month. Closer to home, the Lepas brand is set to be launched in Malaysia in the first half of the year, ahead of the UK. The timing has slipped somewhat, as it was supposed to arrive in the first quarter, as was announced in November. Besides the L8, the company will also introduce the smaller B-segment L4, which has already been sighted locally. GALLERY: Lepas L8 at GIIAS 2025 Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater.
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