The Lepas L6 will arrive within the UK on the again finish of the 12 months as a Hyundai Kona-rivalling crossover with hybrid and electrical energy.
Cousin to the massively widespread Jaecoo 7, the L6 will likely be Lepas’s second UK mannequin following the flagship L8, which is able to arrive this summer time to rival the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.
Lepas (whose title is a portmanteau of ‘leopard’, ‘leap’ and ‘ardour’) is owned by Chinese large Chery and has been created with a deal with the European market. It’s a sibling model to Omoda, Jaecoo and Chery.
The five-seat L6 will likely be provided with the selection of two powertrains, both plug-in hybrid or battery-electric.
The PHEV makes use of the identical 204bhp powertrain as the Jaecoo 7, which turned the UK’s best-selling car last month. This combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electrical motor and 18.3kWh battery.
Lepas claims the PHEV is sweet for 700 miles of mixed vary, nevertheless it hasn’t but detailed how a lot of that’s on the battery alone. For reference, the 7 presents 56 miles of electric-only vary.
The electrical L6 attracts energy from a brand new 67kWh battery pack, which supplies it a spread of 270 miles. It could be rapid-charged from 30-80% in 20 minutes.
This know-how is a step up from its Jaecoo E5 and Omoda E5 electrical cousins, which use a smaller 61kWh battery, have 257 miles of vary and take 28 minutes to cost the identical quantity.
Lepas hasn’t but revealed what motors the L6 will use, however anticipate output to be much like the E5’s 208bhp.
No particulars on the L6’s inside have been confirmed, however the bigger L8 offers clues of what to anticipate. That includes a portrait-oriented 13.2in infotainment touchscreen, an array of bodily buttons for management local weather capabilities and a wi-fi telephone charger.
Lepas UK MD Ray Wang stated the L6 “marks an exciting step for our brand in Europe and the UK market”.
Pricing and full UK trim specs will likely be revealed nearer to the automotive’s arrival within the final quarter of the 12 months.
