NEW CARS

Lepas L8 Targets RAV4 and CX-5 with Cut-Price PHEV Punch in UK Debut

When a new brand lands on British shores promising premium feel for mainstream money, skepticism is part of the job description. But that’s exactly the pitch from Lepas, which has confirmed that its L8 SUV will be the first model it sells in the United Kingdom.

If the name sounds unfamiliar, the backstory shouldn’t. Lepas is owned by Chinese heavyweight Chery and sits alongside sibling brands Omoda and Jaecoo. The name itself is a carefully engineered mash-up of “leopard,” “leap,” and “passion”—marketing poetry that signals ambition, if not subtlety.

A Flagship with Familiar Targets

The L8 arrives as a five-seat, mid-size SUV aimed squarely at Europe’s family-car sweet spot. Think of the territory currently occupied by the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4—only with a price tag expected to undercut both. That means going head-to-head with established players from Mazda and Toyota while dangling the promise of extra kit for less cash.

Under the skin, the L8 rides on Chery’s modular T1X platform, shared with its Omoda and Jaecoo cousins. That’s not necessarily a drawback; economies of scale are the not-so-secret weapon of every rising brand with global ambitions.

Plug-In Power, with EV to Follow

Although full UK specs remain under wraps, clues come from markets where the L8 is already on sale. In Indonesia, it’s offered exclusively as a plug-in hybrid, pairing a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and an 18.3-kWh battery. The combined output stands at 204 horsepower, and the electric-only range is quoted at 56 miles—enough to cover most weekday commutes without waking the petrol engine.

Given that the UK-market Jaecoo 7 uses the same setup, expect the L8 to follow suit. An all-electric version is also likely waiting in the wings, especially since the T1X architecture already supports full EV applications in related models. In other words, Lepas appears to be hedging its bets—PHEV now, EV soon.

Clean Cabin, Big Screens

Inside, the L8 leans heavily into the minimalist playbook. A portrait-oriented 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen dominates the center stack, while a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster handles driver duties. Refreshingly, Lepas hasn’t gone full touchscreen purist: physical climate buttons and a proper volume dial remain. There’s also a wireless phone charger, because of course there is.

The brand promises “next-generation driving assistance,” though details remain vague. Expect the usual suite of lane-keeping aids, adaptive cruise control, and collision mitigation tech, but we’ll reserve judgment until the spec sheet drops.

More to Come

Full UK-market details are due in the coming weeks ahead of a summer launch. And the L8 won’t be alone for long. According to Autocar, Lepas also plans to bring its L4 and L6 crossovers to Britain, offering a mix of pure internal-combustion, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric powertrains.

For now, the L8 represents the opening salvo: a family SUV with premium aspirations and a value-driven pitch. If Lepas can deliver on price without cutting too many corners, the established order in Britain’s hyper-competitive SUV class may have reason to glance nervously in its rearview mirror.

Source: Autocar

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Order Books Reopen: Alfa’s 520-HP Quadrifoglios Are Back

Alfa Romeo isn’t ready to let its loudest, angriest sedans and SUVs slip quietly into the night. Instead, it’s doubling down.

After hinting at the move during the 2026 Brussels Motor Show, Alfa has officially reopened European orders for the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio starting in early March. More than a stopgap, this is part of a broader strategy to extend production of the current Giulia and Stelvio lineup through 2027—an olive branch to enthusiasts who weren’t ready to say goodbye to one of the last great internal-combustion Alfas.

The Cloverleaf That Refuses to Wilt

The Quadrifoglio badge isn’t marketing fluff; it’s a talisman. The four-leaf clover first appeared in 1923 when Ugo Sivocci painted it on his Alfa Romeo RL before winning the Targa Florio. A century later, it still signifies the sharpest edge of Alfa’s performance ambitions.

In modern form, that means a 520-hp twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 under the hood of both cars. It’s an engine that feels delightfully anachronistic in today’s hybrid-happy world—snappy throttle response, a midrange punch that borders on violent, and a redline that begs to be chased. In the Giulia, it drives the rear wheels in proper sport-sedan tradition. In the Stelvio, it pairs with Alfa’s Q4 all-wheel-drive system to make a 500-plus-horsepower SUV feel improbably eager.

The numbers matter. But the texture matters more.

Engineering with an Italian Accent

Both Quadrifoglios were engineered with the kind of obsessive weight-saving that would make a track-day regular nod approvingly. Aluminum for the engine. Carbon fiber for the driveshaft, hood, side skirts, spoiler, interior trim panels—even the dashboard. The goal is simple: keep the structure stiff, the mass low, and the weight distribution near ideal.

The Giulia’s active carbon-fiber front splitter adjusts airflow under the car to increase stability at speed. It’s not just aero theater; it’s functional, the kind of detail you feel through the steering wheel at triple-digit autobahn velocities.

And then there’s the exhaust. The available Akrapovič system doesn’t just make noise—it broadcasts intent. Deep at idle, metallic under load, and feral at full throttle, it’s a reminder that performance cars are meant to be heard as much as driven.

Backing up all that muscle is a mechanical limited-slip differential. In an era where brake-based torque vectoring often masquerades as sophistication, Alfa’s hardware-first approach is refreshingly analog. Power delivery is clean, traction feels natural, and corner exits are dispatched with a precision that makes you wonder why more manufacturers abandoned this formula.

Still a Driver’s Car—Yes, Even the SUV

The Giulia Quadrifoglio remains one of the most communicative sports sedans of its generation. The steering is quick and alive. The chassis feels balanced and alert. Every input—throttle, brake, steering—returns immediate feedback. It’s a car that seems to shrink around you the harder you push it.

The Stelvio Quadrifoglio, meanwhile, continues to defy physics with impressive conviction. At 520 horsepower, it has the straight-line speed to embarrass dedicated sports cars, yet it manages to corner with composure that belies its ride height. The Q4 system apportions torque with subtlety, preserving much of the rear-drive feel enthusiasts crave.

Inside, both cars lean into their motorsport heritage. Available “Racing Sparco” seats combine leather and Alcantara with exposed carbon-fiber shells, gripping you tightly without crossing into punishment. Burnished five-hole wheels—19 inches on the Giulia, 21 on the Stelvio—frame anodized gray brake calipers. Paint choices like Rosso Etna, Verde Montreal, and Blu Misano remind you that subtlety was never the point.

A Stay of Execution

Reopening orders isn’t just a business decision; it’s a cultural one. As the industry pivots toward electrification, the Quadrifoglio twins stand as unapologetic reminders of Alfa Romeo’s combustion-fueled DNA. They represent a philosophy centered on balance, mechanical purity, and emotional engagement.

Extending production to 2027 gives enthusiasts a few more years to experience that formula the old-fashioned way: six cylinders, two turbos, rear-biased dynamics, and a four-leaf clover on the fender.

In a market increasingly defined by silent acceleration and digital interfaces, the Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio still speak fluent gasoline. And for now, at least, Alfa Romeo is letting them keep talking.

Source: Alfa Romeo

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Even Bentley’s Cargo Jets Are Going Green Now

Bentley has never been shy about excess. Twelve cylinders, mirror-finish walnut, enough cowhide to upholster a gentlemen’s club. But in 2026, excess comes with an asterisk—and a carbon calculation. So while the brand from Bentley Motors is still perfectly happy to airfreight your six-figure grand tourer across continents at a moment’s notice, it now plans to do so on something a little less Jurassic than conventional jet fuel.

The company announced it will use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for all customer car airfreight movements worldwide, effective immediately. It’s a headline that sounds bureaucratic until you remember what’s actually happening: when a customer in, say, Dubai or Los Angeles needs their Continental or Bentayga delivered yesterday, that car often boards a cargo jet. And cargo jets, as physics relentlessly reminds us, burn a lot of fuel.

Bentley insists airfreight remains the exception, not the rule. Sea freight is still the default, because container ships sip fuel compared with aircraft guzzling it at 35,000 feet. But in the rare cases when time zones and client expectations collide, the brand says those flights will now run on ISCC-certified SAF—an alternative fuel derived from renewable or waste-based sources that can be pumped into existing aircraft without modification. No new engines. No sci-fi hardware. Just a different cocktail in the tank.

The important bit isn’t that it works—it does—but that it meaningfully cuts lifecycle emissions. Depending on feedstock and production method, SAF can reduce lifecycle CO₂e emissions by up to 70 to 95 percent compared with conventional jet fuel. That’s not greenwashing math; it’s independently verified well-to-wheel accounting, the kind sustainability departments love and engineers respect.

According to Aimee Kelly, Bentley’s Head of Sustainability, the shift reflects “measurable, evidence-based steps” to reduce emissions where flying remains unavoidable. Translation: if you must ship a two-and-a-half-ton luxury coupe by air, at least make the jet fuel count for something.

Bentley says it has already transported customer cars using SAF, recording substantial CO₂e reductions compared with traditional aviation fuel. At present, the coverage applies to all customer car airfreight movements, and the company is exploring whether SAF can be expanded across additional logistics routes that require air transport.

This isn’t an isolated PR flourish. It slots into Bentley’s broader Beyond100+ strategy—its long-term roadmap to transform the company into a leader in sustainable luxury mobility. Beyond100+ aims to decarbonize operations and the value chain while preserving what Bentley considers non-negotiable: craftsmanship, performance, and the sort of quiet authority that comes from building cars in Crewe for over a century.

If this sounds like a strange juxtaposition—private jets and planet-saving ambitions—you’re not wrong. Luxury and sustainability have historically been uneasy roommates. But the modern ultra-luxury customer expects both: speed and conscience, indulgence and accountability.

There’s also a pragmatic undertone here. Airfreight produces significantly higher emissions than sea transport. That’s a hard truth. So rather than pretending urgency doesn’t exist in global markets, Bentley is targeting the emissions intensity of the flight itself. It’s a surgical move: decarbonize the outliers while continuing to lean on lower-impact shipping where possible.

For a brand built on W-12 engines and two-tone paintwork, this is a different kind of engineering challenge. Not horsepower per liter, but carbon per kilometer. Not 0–60 times, but well-to-wheel emissions curves.

Will Sustainable Aviation Fuel single-handedly absolve the environmental footprint of shipping a 5000-pound luxury car by air? Of course not. But in a world where logistics is often the invisible giant in a product’s carbon story, it’s a meaningful lever.

And if Bentley is serious about redefining sustainable luxury, the real work isn’t just in electrifying the lineup—it’s in rethinking everything that happens before the key fob ever lands in a customer’s hand.

Source: Bentley

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