Chery’s new Lepas sub-brand is plotting an aggressive dealer rollout ahead of its Malaysian launch sometime in the first half of next year.
The plan? Start with 20 showrooms and service points across the country, then push that to 30 by December 2026.
They’re targeting the usual suspects — Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang — plus Sabah and Sarawak.
Lepas is also talking up a “Lifestyle Experience Centre” for the Klang Valley, though what exactly that means beyond a fancy showroom remains to be seen.
Think design showcase meets tech demo rather than your typical walk-in-and-buy setup.
As for what they’ll actually sell, nothing’s confirmed yet.
The brand currently offers three SUVs globally — the L8, L6, and L4 — all available with petrol, hybrid, or full-electric power.
Word is the L8 will launch first, being the biggest and most premium of the bunch, with the smaller models following later. Test cars are apparently already here doing the rounds for JPJ approval.
The Malaysia move is part of Lepas’s wider push into Southeast Asia.
Over in Indonesia, it has just opened its first-ever showroom in Jakarta on Jan 19, where an AI robot called AiMOGA handles the meet-and-greet duties alongside the L8 showcase model.
Whether Malaysian buyers will warm to a brand that sounds like “lepas” (let go/release) or “lipas” (cockroach, depending on pronunciation) is anyone’s guess.
But with Chery’s track record of competitive pricing, it’s betting the product will speak louder than the name.
