Chery Group’s premium new energy brand LEPAS concluded its L6 PHEV Global Journey of Elegant Driving on May 7, 2026, marking the validation phase of a three-step rollout strategy ahead of European and global market entry. The tour, staged alongside the 2026 International Business Summit, began at Auto China 2026, regrouped in Wuxi, and finished at the LEPAS Global Partner Conference in Wuhu. The Wuhu-headquartered automaker positioned the multi-stop drive as the bridge between the L6’s Milan debut and full commercial launch in target markets.
Highlights
- LEPAS reports 44.5% thermal efficiency for the L6 PHEV powertrain, alongside a claimed 65.2% interior space utilization rate
- Validation tour ran from Auto China 2026 through Wuxi to Wuhu, with international test drivers from Australia and Southeast Asia participating
- Model is built on Chery’s Intelligent LEX Platform and forms part of the brand’s “debut, validation, co-creation” rollout sequence
- L6 follows the L4 in South Africa as LEPAS expands toward European launches scheduled for late 2026
Validation Stage of a Three-Step Rollout
LEPAS frames the China tour as the second of three stages in its market entry plan. The brand debuted at Milan Design Week in April 2026, where it unveiled the L6 and L8 alongside the LEX intelligent new energy platform. The validation drive shifts the program from static auto-show display to dynamic on-road testing, with the next phase — co-creation — pointing toward dealer partnerships and customer-facing market launches.
The convoy passed through urban environments, highways, and varied surface conditions across central and eastern China. Participants from international markets, including Australia and Southeast Asia, joined the drive segments. According to LEPAS, the testers cited high-speed control, ride composure, and human-machine interaction as standout characteristics during the route.
Powertrain and Efficiency Claims
LEPAS attributes the L6 PHEV’s energy management to a 44.5% thermal-efficiency rating for the combustion engine and what the company describes as seamless coordination between the engine and the electric drive system. The brand says this combination supports an extended combined driving range, although a specific figure was not disclosed in the wrap-up announcement. Earlier reporting from the Milan debut indicated the Super Hybrid variant claims a combined range exceeding 700 miles on WLTP testing.
For comparative context, Chery’s sixth-generation Chery Super Hybrid system in the new Tiggo V PHEV posts a quoted fuel consumption figure of 6.0 L/100 km — a useful benchmark, though Chery has not confirmed whether the L6 PHEV uses the same generation of hybrid hardware or a LEPAS-specific tune of the LEX platform. Independent verification of the 44.5% thermal-efficiency claim is not available; the figure originates with the manufacturer.
Design and Cabin Positioning
The L6 PHEV’s exterior treatment, which LEPAS calls “Leopard Aesthetics,” combines a low, wide stance with sculpted shoulder lines and signature LED lighting the brand markets as “Hunting Eye” headlights. The company says the 65.2% space utilization figure reflects packaging efficiency from the LEX platform, with cabin layout intended to support long-distance comfort.
The Yixing portion of the tour pulled in a cultural framing — pottery craftsmanship as analog for manufacturing precision — that fits LEPAS’s broader brand language around “Elegance Moves the World.”
Path to Market
The L6 is scheduled to arrive in the United Kingdom in Q4 2026, following the L8 flagship in Q3 2026, according to Chery’s UK announcement earlier this year. UK pricing has not been disclosed for either model. LEPAS becomes Chery’s fourth UK brand alongside Omoda, Jaecoo, and the Chery nameplate, drawing on a parent group that ranked 385th on the 2024 Fortune Global 500 with revenues of $39.1 billion.
The validation drive’s positioning at the International Business Summit suggests LEPAS is using the event to align distributor, dealer, and partner discussions with the model’s technical narrative ahead of broader rollout.
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