Lepas News

Brand loyalty is being increasingly eroded according to exclusive data in Gumtree Group’s The Next Gear: Australia in Motion report.In a survey of prospective buyers looking at hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, just three per cent had an exact model in mind and only nine per cent had a preference on brand.The data shows 38 per cent of respondents said they were open to a variety of car options or were undecided, while 25 per cent knew the type of car they wanted, but had no preference on the brand. The data was generated from a survey of nearly 4400 people who visited Gumtree, CarsGuide and Autotrader in 2025.The erosion of brand loyalty has been in part brought on by the significant influx of new players entering the Australian market, with aggressive price-points.This trend has continued into 2026. Already this year, BYD’s luxury sub-brand Denza launched with its B5 and B8 SUVs, while several other brands, including Chery’s sub-brand Lepas are not too far away. These new players will add to the already-diverse list of manufacturers with cars on sale Down Under, with some of those shaking up the established pack. The likes of BYD and Chery, with extensive electric and hybrid options, have made huge strides in the Aussie market at the expense of brands such as Mitsubishi and Subaru.The latest sales data also revealed Chinese manufacturers overtook Japanese manufacturers Down Under for the first time in February 2026.It is a similar story when looking at the best-selling brands, with both Toyota and Mazda experiencing sizeable drops in sales month-to-month, while BYD, GWM and Chery all saw big increases. There are signs now that Chinese brands are beginning to snatch more sales from each other in Australia, with LDV and MG losing out to rivals.The same goes for established brand GWM, which for the first time was overtaken by BYD in the sales charts for Australia last month.Hybrid choices continue to grow in popularity, but petrol sales remain dominant for now. As brands continue to favour hybrid over petrol in their line-ups thanks in no small part to Australia's new vehicle efficiency standards (NVES), the electrified shift with accelerate. Many brands like Toyota have shifted entire product portfolios to hybrid-only, while others are expected to follow suit before long as regulations bite toward the end of the decade.

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China’s new car brand onslaught continues.New brand Lepas has been confirmed to arrive in Australia in 2026.Lepas is part of Chery’s sprawling sub-brand portfolio, and promises to be more edgy than Chery’s existing brands, which include Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda.Chery Australia boss Lucas Harris said, “Australian SUV buyers have had practicality covered for years. What they’ve been missing is personality. Lepas delivers both.”Lepas was launched in China at the Shanghai motor show in May this year.Lepas displayed its first vehicle, the L8, which is earmarked for Australia in 2026.It is built on the same platform as several of Chery’s other SUVs, including the Chery Tiggo 8, Jaecoo J7 and Omoda 7.The L8 is a mid-size five-seat SUV, which measures 4688mm long, 1860mm and 1695mm tall with a 2800mm wheelbase.Lepas also has two smaller SUVs, the L4 and L6, which are the twins of the Chery Tiggo 4 and Tiggo 7.The L8 will have the same mechanical set-up as many of the other Chery vehicles, but will feature different styling and interior fit-out to help it stand out from its stablemates.Chery Australia hasn’t confirmed details yet, but it is in line for petrol and plug-in hybrid power. Full electric power is a strong possibility down the line, too.Chery’s plug-in hybrid set-up uses a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor to make a combined 255kW/525Nm. A circa-18kWh Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) battery delivers a driving range of up to 93km on the more lenient NEDC test cycle.Chery will reveal full details of Lepas closer to the brand’s official launch in 2026.