Key takeaways

• The Aura is a design study with no powertrain or production details
• Its black front panel and Leopard headlamps will appear on future Lepas models
• Lepas launches locally with the L6 EV from $47,990 before on-roads

Lepas has revealed the Aura, the first concept car from the Chery-owned brand and a preview of how its future models will look.

Shown this week at the Chery International User Summit in Wuhu, China, the Aura is a design study only. Lepas hasn’t released powertrain details, specifications or production plans.

The concept arrives as the brand prepares for its Australian launch, with the Lepas L6 electric SUV due in dealerships from early November.

New face for future Lepas models

The biggest change is at the front. Lepas has merged the grille and side air intakes used on its current models into a single clean black panel, flanked by slim headlights it calls Leopard headlamps.

Lepas says that headlight signature will carry through to future models. Chief designer Ivan Dulanović has also said the new front end is designed to suit any powertrain, from petrol engines through to full EVs. Lepas sells petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric models overseas, all using Chery Group hardware, so one face needs to work across all three.

The body sits somewhere between a shooting brake and a three-door hatch. It has a long wheelbase, short overhangs, a wide stance and pronounced shoulders, which Lepas says are inspired by the movement and muscle of a leopard. Air channels built into the bodywork help direct airflow over and through the car.

Customisable lighting and colours

Both ends of the Aura use displays instead of conventional light clusters, allowing the graphics, lighting patterns and animations to be personalised. At the rear, the screen sits within an oval-shaped panel and animates when the brakes are applied.

The concept also continues the glossy porcelain-style finish Lepas already uses, and comes in three colours inspired by natural landscapes:

• Dawn Pearl, inspired by sunrise in Tahiti
• Bacalar Blue, based on Bacalar Lagoon in Mexico
• Provence Twilight, a deeper blue-purple inspired by sunset in southern France

Lepas says the Aura’s proportions, surfaces, lighting and colour will help inform its next generation of vehicles. It hasn’t said which models will be first or when they will arrive.

Lepas in Australia

Lepas is the newest Chery Group brand in Australia, joining Chery and Omoda Jaecoo.

Its first local model, the L6 mid-size electric SUV, is priced from $47,990 before on-road costs in a single Signature grade, backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

That price puts the L6 $6,000 above the Geely EX5 and BYD Atto 3, two of its closest electric rivals. A plug-in hybrid version of the L6 is due in March 2027, with more models planned by 2028.

Australian buyers can test drive the L6 from early November.