Speaking with GoAuto News Premium at a recent Lepas preview media event in Sydney, Mr Harris detailed a 40-strong dealer network for the brand – with plans to expand to between 50 and 60 dealerships – which will be “totally separate” from the rest of its brands.

Lucas Harris

“So it’s a totally separate and independent dealer network. We’ll launch with just on 40 dealers or 40 dealers soon after launch. Total network size probably is going to be around the 50 or 60 mark, sort of where we’ve planned for it in the long term, and we will likely utilise existing group dealers that we have other brands with for parts and service agents in more rural or provincial areas,” he said. 

“(The dealerships are) going to be standalone as much as pretty much any brand can be in the multi-franchise retail environment that we’re in.” 

“So there are going to be occasions where there might be a Chery or an Omoda-Jaecoo dealer next door, and there’ll be plenty of occasions where there’s not. That’s not by design. It’s more the nature of the retail environment in Australia.”According to Mr Harris, around 30 dealerships will be open from the brand’s launch, with another 10 following shortly afterwards, while the network expansion to around 50 to 60 dealers will be volume-dependent. 

“Approximately 30 (dealerships will be open) on day one, and then within six weeks, the other 10 will be online and ready to go. The signage installers can only do so many all at one time,” he said. 

“(The expansion to between 50 and 60 dealers is) mostly going to be dictated by how volume is travelling and making sure we’ve got enough coverage to reach enough customers. We have to be careful not to have too many dealers too early because we need the existing dealers that we start with to be able to have a profitable business as quickly as they can to make it viable, given that they are investing so much in building us facilities.” 

Since returning to local shores, Chery itself has opened “over 85 authorised dealers across Australia” according to its website, targeting 100 by the end of the year.  

In the case of Omoda-Jaecoo – with the two brands each launching as standalone marques in 2025 – opened its 50th dealerships earlier this year, with the Peter Warren-operated Omoda-Jaecco Macarthur pushing the count past the half century mark. 

Lepas’s first model to hit showrooms will be the mid-size electric L6 SUV, which launches in October following its public debut at the Everything Electric show in Sydney.

By Jack MacKenzie