Another one - Chery’s Lepas sub-brand ready to pounce on Malaysia next? New official Instagram page suggests imminent launch

Following its official debut in Indonesia at the 2025 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS), the newest Chery sub-brand - Lepas - may be almost ready to enter the Malaysian market. While no formal announcement has been made by Chery or its affiliates, some digital breadcrumbs are beginning to appear — most notably, the emergence of a new Instagram account under the name Lepas Malaysia (@lepasmalaysia), and followed by some notable staff.

The account, which posted its first video on July 31, appears to be in its early stages, with just under 60 followers at the time of writing (this writer being the 60th). However, as mentioned, the followers list includes several known figures in the automotive industry, particularly those associated with Chery, adding credibility to the page’s authenticity.

It also only follows three accounts — Lepas Motor Indonesia, Lepas International, and Chery Malaysia — suggesting an official connection to the brand. We suppose that, in due course, it will also be adding Jaecoo & Omoda Malaysia as well as iCaur Malaysia to its list of followed accounts. Would also be funny if they follow Jetour, come to think....

All this could be an early indicator that Chery is getting ready to introduce the Lepas brand in Malaysia, possibly starting with the same model it launched in Indonesia: the Lepas L8. Unveiled earlier this year in China and launched in Indonesia just a few weeks ago, the L8 is a D-segment SUV roughly comparable in size to the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro or Honda CR-V, measuring 4,688 mm long, 1,871 mm wide, and 1,694 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,800 mm.

While official specifications for the Malaysian version haven’t been confirmed, reports suggest the L8 could be powered by Chery’s Super Hybrid (CSH) plug-in hybrid system. If true, it would likely feature a 1.5-litre turbocharged Miller-cycle engine paired with a 204 PS/310 Nm electric motor, delivering a combined output of 347 PS and 525 Nm. This exact powertrain currently lives within the Jaecoo J7 PHEV and has been previewed in the form of the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH and Tiggo 8 CSH.

This setup includes an 18.3-kWh LFP battery sourced from BYD, providing a pure EV range of up to 90 km and a total driving range of up to 1,200 km, while fuel consumption as low as 1.3 l/100 km has been advertised.

There’s also the Lepas L4, which is a smaller SUV model with the same bones as the Chery Tiggo Cross, albeit styled to be sleeker thanks to the brand’s ‘Leopard Aesthetic’. By the way, because the Chery Group’s sub-brands always tend to amalgamate their names by squishing two (or more) words together: Lepas is a fusion of the word Leap, Leopard and Passion. 

With Malaysia potentially being the next stop for Lepas, all eyes are now on Chery for official confirmation. If the L8 and the L4 does make its way here, it would mark yet another expansion of the brand’s rapidly growing presence in the region. Question is: do we want another Chery SUV brand?