Bold new Lepas Aura concept previews a hatch that's ahead of the curve
Slick new compact hatchback points to what might be in store for Jaecoo and Omoda sister brand
Lepas has only just arrived in the UK as the fourth brand from Chinese automotive giant Chery Group, and while its sole offering to date is the L8 family SUV, it’s looking to raise a few eyebrows with the new Aura.
Revealed at an event in China, the Aura is a concept car that takes some of Lepas’ current design language and applies it to a very sleek and sporty-looking compact car that treads the line between hatchback and shooting brake.
We shouldn’t be too surprised to see Lepas taking a more sporty approach than its Jaecoo, Omoda and Chery sibling brands – after all the Lepas name is derived from a combination of the words ‘leopard’ and ‘passion’.
The Aura concept comes with some fascinating design cues – at the front, the faux grille is a back-lit screen with Lepas script in the middle. The fact there are no significant air ducts at the front strongly suggests the Aura has a pure EV powertrain. The headlights are similar to the slender units on the new L8, while the low, swooping bonnet gives the Aura some real aggression.
At the side, the 22-inch wheels look to have been sculpted for aerodynamic efficiency, but also have a set of red spokes. Behind, there are some rather sporty aero-flicks – paired with another set behind the rear wheels – plus a diffuser look to the lower rear bumper.
The hatchback body features a fairly conventional bootlid with a fin on the upper section – presumably for stability at higher speeds. Instead of any physical badging, the rear light unit features illuminated Lepas script.
Lepas hasn’t told us whether the Aura previews a production car, although given the bold design we expect plenty of the styling elements to influence future models from the brand.
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