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WUHU, China, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LEPAS, the premium new-energy vehicle (NEV) brand under Chinese automaker Chery Auto, has wrapped up the first LEPAS Global Elegant Lifestyle Week. Held Oct. 19–21 in Wuhu, China, the three-day event drew more than 300 Test Drive Ambassadors from global markets who tested models in everyday driving situations: urban routes, handling drills, intelligent parking demonstrations and vehicle-to-load (V2L) sessions. LEPAS's takeaway: "Elegant Technology" belongs in the routine parts of driving, not just the showroom.
The driving program avoided racetrack theatrics. Drivers braked at intersections, rolled over speed bumps and crossed uneven pavement to judge ride comfort and suspension behavior. Then came figure-eight slaloms, U-shaped turns and S-bends, where steering response and body control were pushed hard enough to expose weaknesses. For a family-car shopper, these are the moments that reveal whether a crossover keeps its composure in a tight parking garage or during a last-second lane change.
The urban loop added stop-and-go traffic and pedestrian crossings, forcing smooth throttle and brake modulation rather than straight-line speed. LEPAS engineers watched from the sidelines, logging how each model handled repeated low-speed maneuvers — often where heavier SUVs feel their mass. Suspension tuning that feels firm on a smooth road can turn brittle on broken pavement, and the Wuhu demos gave a clear read on how each calibration dealt with real-world surfaces. The exercise, the company said, made its "Effortless Control" promise testable instead of abstract; repeated laps let ambassadors separate genuine chassis quality from marketing language.
Parking assistance drew the most interest of any demonstration. LEPAS showed two familiar assists — Automated Parking Assist (APA) and Remote Parking Assist (RPA) — alongside the Super Intelligent Valet Parking (SIVP) system available exclusively on the L8 PHEV. APA handles spot detection and steering while the driver stays in the car; RPA extends the same control to a smartphone. SIVP goes further: it builds a digital map of a designated enclosed parking area, plans a route to an open space and navigates there using multi-sensor fusion, blending cameras, radar and ultrasonic readings for a fuller environmental picture than older ultrasonic-only systems.
The convenience loop is straightforward. Owners summon the car through a smartphone app, and it pulls out of a space automatically. At a parking area, the driver can exit and let the system find a spot, plan a route and park by itself. It can also cruise in search of a vacancy and maneuver into tight slots — removing much of the stress of crowded garages.
The international reaction was immediate. "Automated parking was what impressed me most today," said José Planelles, a Test Drive Ambassador representing Spanish dealership Borjamotor. "It performed really well, and I think it's a great solution for people who find parking difficult."
For drivers who dread parallel parking or cramped garage entries, that feature alone could shape a purchase decision. LEPAS's decision to headline parking technology rather than acceleration figures reflects a broader shift in the practical EV market: buyers increasingly care how smoothly a car handles the mundane, not just how fast it goes.
In parallel, the L6 EV kicked off its first LEPAS Global Journey of Elegant Driving, an intercity route designed to test range confidence, charging stops and long-distance comfort beyond the demonstration site. Combined with the L8 PHEV's around-town duties, the two-vehicle setup covered both ends of the new-energy spectrum: the L6 EV's highway manners and the plug-in hybrid's urban agility.
Between drives, the vehicles powered coffee machines and catering equipment through Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) capability. Ambassadors collected coffee and hot meals directly from the cars while seeing how an EV battery can act as a mobile generator.
It was a low-key display with an unmistakable point: an EV is no longer just a transport appliance. For outdoor-minded buyers, the ability to run a camping fridge, a laptop or a tailgate setup without idling a gasoline engine is fast becoming a differentiator — and LEPAS kept the coffee flowing all day to prove it.
The event ran under the theme "TOGETHER IN ELEGANCE," and LEPAS framed it as co-creation rather than a one-way product pitch. Feedback gathered from ambassadors — many of whom sell cars in their home markets — offered critiques that usually take months of ownership to surface, giving LEPAS a fast-track usability report. Those insights will inform how the brand tunes features and positions models in different regions. In effect, the test drives doubled as market research before vehicles reach more showrooms.
That mattered for a Chinese premium brand still building trust abroad. LEPAS says it already counts more than 500 sales and service outlets worldwide. Chery Auto, its parent, has been China's No. 1 passenger-vehicle exporter among Chinese brands for 23 consecutive years. The Wuhu gathering, in that context, was less about spectacle and more about collecting real-world input ahead of further international expansion.
The location helped: Wuhu, in Anhui Province, is Chery's home base. Holding the event on home turf kept engineering teams close, and vehicles could be checked between runs at the Squirrel Town test site.
LEPAS is part of a wave of Chinese NEV brands moving beyond export volume and into brand building. Open test drives with international participants — as opposed to polished launch events — signal that the brand understands Western buyers want proof over promises. By letting international dealers and media evaluate parking assistance, ride quality and V2L in ordinary scenarios, LEPAS is trying to make "elegant mobility" concrete rather than abstract.
The approach carries risk. Open events invite direct comparison with established competitors, and any weakness in ride comfort or parking tech is exposed in front of people who will eventually sell against it. But for a brand entering new markets, candid feedback at this stage is far cheaper than correcting course after launch.
With the first edition complete, LEPAS now has a body of international impressions to work from. The company says it will keep refining its models together with users, with the goal of bringing "Drive Your Elegance" closer to everyday life. If the ambassador feedback loop works as designed, the next iteration of LEPAS models will carry fingerprints from the hundreds of drivers who spent mid-October in Wuhu.
LEPAS is Chery Auto's premium NEV brand, created to deliver elegant mobility experiences to users worldwide. Its design language combines Leopard Aesthetics, Elegant Technology and Exquisite Space. The brand is expanding through localized operations, supported by more than 500 sales and service outlets globally.
Founded in 1997, Chery Auto is a global automaker focused on vehicle development, intelligent technologies and new-energy solutions. It operates in more than 130 countries and regions, supported by an international network of research, production capabilities and strategic partnerships. Chery has remained China's No. 1 passenger-vehicle exporter among Chinese brands for 23 straight years, guided by its philosophy: "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere."
