New Lepas L4 EV aims high, with BMW iX1 in its sights
All-electric version of the forthcoming Lepas L4 has been revealed in Beijing as a rival for the BMW iX1 and Mercedes GLA
Chery’s new luxury brand Lepas is in full expansion mode, with the firm launching a new all-electric variant of the compact L4 at this year’s Beijing Motor Show. Lepas is aiming high with legacy European companies in its crosshairs; this new L4 EV is directly aimed at the BMW iX1, Volvo EX30, and forthcoming Mercedes GLA.
As we reported only this week, the L4 will sit alongside the larger L6 and L8, and will be joined by another SUV, plus a small, MINI-rivalling hatchback within two years. Lepas will adopt a multi-fuel strategy across its range, with a choice of petrol, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full-EV powertrains on offer.
The new L4 EV will find its basis in the existing ICE model, which means it’ll share its key dimensions and chassis. As such, the new EV should sit at around 4.4 meters long, which places it right at the heart of the compact-SUV class.
Like the larger L6, which is also offered with a choice of petrol, hybrid and electric powertrains, the L4 EV loses its siblings traditional grille for a more flush front end. The twin headlight and daytime-running light arrangement has been switched out for a single unit, with contrasting gloss-black trim on the bumper. The rear is more similar, with no discernable differences between the petrol and electric versions.
Few technical details have been revealed, but there’s a good chance it’ll share its electric powertrain with related models like the Jaecoo E5. This should see fitment of a 61kWh battery pack, paired with a front-mounted e-motor producing around 200bhp. The E5 will officially do around 250 miles on a charge, and is already available to lease in top-spec Luxury trim via Auto Express Buy a Car for less than £300 per month.
As it stands, this puts the model some way behind the performance and range of its European rivals – without taking into account the big advances we expect to see across the industry over the next 12 months. Mercedes’ new GLA is expected to comfortably exceed 400 miles, and BMW’s iX1 is about to undergo its own Neue-Klasse transformation.
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