Lepas L8 on the way to RIVAL the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorento, Toyota RAV4 and more

Lepas start their assault on the UK market with the L8, joining Chery’s stable of offerings, which include Jaecoo, Chery and Omada.

Chinese automotive giant Chery is on a quest to dominate the UK car market, and is already selling cars under the Jaecoo and Omada brands as well as its own-brand Chery.

Just in case that’s not enough, Chery recently announced their Lepas brand is heading for the UK, and now we know the first offering from Lepas will be the Lepas L8 (pictured).

Beyond the photos of the exterior and interior, there’s not a lot of official information on what to expect beyond press release fluff, which includes a reiteration that the Lepas name is a contrived portmanteau of “Leopard”, “Leap” and “Passion” and that “the distinctive LED headlights are styled to echo the focused intensity of a leopard’s eye.” So now you know.

But what we do know is that the L8 is built on the same platform as the Jaecoo and Omada offerings and is aimed at rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sorento, Toyota RAV4 and more, and likely to arrive at prices which undercut them.

It seems likely that the L8 will be offered initially with the same PHEV powertrain as the Jaecoo 7, which means a 1.5-litre petrol with an electric motor powered by an 18.3kWh battery delivering a combined 204bhp and over 50 miles of EV running.

The Lepas L8 will launch in the summer.