This Chinese Three-Door Shooting Break Has A Menacing Audi Face
The Lepas Aura concept borrows a few design cues from the four-ring brand
Chinese automakers keep adding new brands to their portfolios, and those brands need distinct styling identities in order to stand out in a saturated market. The latest example is the Chery-owned Lepas, which was established in 2025 for markets outside China. While its production lineup already includes the L4, L6, and L8 SUVs, Lepas has unveiled a new concept car that sets the tone for the future.
The Lepas Aura is something between a shooting brake and a low-slung three-door hatchback, previewing the "Leopard Aesthetics" design language. This is consistent with the brand's name, which is a combination of the words leopard, leap, and passion.
The Aura is characterized by its aerodynamic roofline, short hood, and long wheelbase. The profile features two large doors joined by muscular front and rear fenders. The alloy wheels have five oval holes, sliced by ultra-slim orange spokes.
Besides the unconventional body style, the highlight of the Lepas Aura concept is the aggressive design of its face with clear references to a German brand.
An angry face with Audi references
The front bumper features a massive, fully covered grille with an integrated screen that extends to the side intakes. This setup looks similar to the new Audi RS5, although Lepas has used a similar theme for its L4 and L8 production models. Meanwhile, the slim LED headlights are reminiscent of those on the recently introduced Audi A2 E-tron.
The Aura has a short tail with a large diffuser and oval-shaped full-width taillights. The latter are similar to the Xiaomi SU7, but they are actually a display, meaning they can be customized. Finally, the entire greenhouse appears to be made from a single glass panel, without visible pillars.
Ivan Dulanović, Chief Designer of Lepas, said that the Aura: "explores elegance through composure rather than decoration."
Lepas didn't get into details about the powertrain of the Aura concept, but said it shows its vision for "innovative electrified mobility." Depending on the model, the company offers gasoline, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric powertrains sourced from Chery's parts bin.
While the Aura was created as a design study, Lepas said its "proportions, surfaces, lighting and color" will help shape its next-generation production models.
Lepas