Chinese brand Lepas announces L8 as first UK model

China’s influence on the UK car market is growing stronger by the day, and now there’s a new brand that is set to join the party.

Lepas — a name that combines “Leopard”, “Leap” and “Passion” — is the fourth brand from Chery International, the largest exporter of cars from China for 23 years in a row. Chery’s foray into Britain began with the launch of Omoda in August 2024, and this was followed up by the introduction of Jaecoo in January 2025.

Then in summer 2025, Chery — derived from the word cheery — became the third brand to land on British shores, announcing its presence with a launch night in London. Since then, we’ve seen the release of the Tiggo 7 and 8 SUV models in the UK, while the number of Chery dealers is set to quadruple to 100 by the end of 2026.

Lepas was already introduced to the European market in 2025, and now, in Q3 of this year, the Lepas L8 will become the brand’s flagship model in Britain, with Lepas hoping to ‘deliver a refined and confident driving experience for UK customers.’

What is the Lepas L8?

The brand has taken the leopard element of its name on board and incorporated it into its design language. The exterior — built on Chery’s all-new New Energy Vehicle (NEV) modular platform — is shaped with ‘muscular contours’ that take inspiration from a running leopard, while its LED headlights have been styled to mirror the ‘focused intensity of a leopard’s eye’.

Inside, there are five seats, an iPad-style infotainment screen and seemingly, plenty of light and space. There appears to be plenty of modern tech also, with Lepas saying the L8’s next-generation driving assistance is ‘engineered to global five-star safety standards’.

Full details about the L8 will be revealed in the coming weeks, while news about future Lepas models will be announced further down the line, as China’s ever-growing influence on the UK’s automotive market continues to gather pace.

READ: The Silent Takeover: How the number of Chinese cars is increasing in the UK

words: Mike Booth
pictures: LEPAS UK