Chery unveils two-door Lepas Aura concept — Autocar

Chinese group Chery has unveiled the Lepas Aura concept in the Chinese city of Wuhu — a two-door shooting brake that may indicate the Lepas brand is moving away from its almost exclusive focus on SUVs. This was reported by Autocar.

A new design direction

The Lepas Aura has a long wheelbase, short overhangs and a wide stance. According to the brand, these proportions are intended to create the impression of a car ready for rapid acceleration. The concept also showcases Lepas's new design language: the body features rounded sculpted forms without pronounced sharp lines along the sides and a narrow cabin.

The name Lepas is formed from the words leopard and passion. The company said the Aura was inspired by the movements of a leopard and the tension of its muscles. The concept's headlights use the “leopard eye” motif characteristic of Lepas models.

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Personalised lighting

The Aura's closed front grille can display graphics, lighting and animations tailored to the driver's mood. The rear light displays, positioned on the elliptical rear window, also allow for personalisation. The company said that the front-end design with a darkened closed grille and wide surround will be used on future Lepas models.

Brand positioning

Lepas is a sister brand of Jaecoo and Omoda. Lepas positions itself somewhat above Jaecoo, Chery and Omoda, offering softer design and interior trim with a more premium emphasis. In September, Lepas sold 739 vehicles in the United Kingdom; most sales came from the large L8 plug-in hybrid SUV. Sales of the smaller L6 model began in October.

Lepas vehicles are built on the T1X platform, which is also used by other Chery Group models, including SUVs in the Tiggo range. The Aura was shown during a week-long Chery event at the company's headquarters in Wuhu, where the Tiggo X7 SUV and Omoda X were also presented.