Chery says slow-moving luxury brands create opportunity for Chinese rivals

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 23:02 · Archive

Chinese carmaker Chery plans to launch premium brands in Australia, arguing that established luxury manufacturers are slow to adopt new technology.

Chery plans to launch premium brands including Lepas, Exlantix and Luxeed in Australia. Chery International president Zhang Guibing argues that established luxury brands are slow to adopt new technology, particularly electric powertrains, creating opportunities for Chinese newcomers. He said many international premium brands still keep internal combustion engines as their main powertrain, whilst high-level customers are more willing to adopt new technologies.

Chery's Lepas brand is positioned above its existing Chery and Omoda Jaecoo brands but below traditional luxury players such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The Lepas L6 BEV Signature electric SUV is priced from $47,990 before on-road costs. The mid-size model has a 65kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a claimed WLTP range of 440km. Customer deliveries are due to begin in November 2026, with a plug-in hybrid version scheduled to follow in 2027.

How it is being reported

• Chery says slow-moving luxury brands give Chinese rivals a chanceChery says new technology could help Chinese premium brands find cut-through against more established luxury players, as it plans to launch its first upmarket marques in Australia.Perth Now · 23 Oct, 22:33
• Chery says slow-moving luxury brands give Chinese rivals a chanceChery says new technology could help Chinese premium brands find cut-through against more established luxury players, as it plans to launch its first upmarket marques in Australia.The West Australian · 23 Oct, 22:33

In this story: Chery · Lepas · Exlantix · Luxeed · Zhang Guibing · Australia · BMW · Mercedes-Benz

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