Like the boy bands of the 1990s, there is another new Chinese automobile brand that wants to make a breakthrough with its own distinctive appearance. And that is Leavea fashion-oriented, luxurious brand from the Chery Group.
Lepas is due to launch in Australia later this year with a range of lively, family-friendly SUVs, starting with the spacious five-seat plug-in hybrid L8. Lepas positions itself above the mainstream Chery brand but alongside its other spin-off brands. Omoda And Jacobowith a more “elegant” atmosphere.
To find out more about Lepas, we previously had an exclusive conversation with chief designer Ivan Dulanovic, a graduate of one of the world’s most prestigious automotive design schools who has helped create some of the world’s most sought-after machines.
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First of all, what inspired you to become an automotive designer? Have you always loved cars?
Yes, I have always been interested in cars. For this reason, I completed a master’s degree in transportation at the Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, Italy, a very well-known automotive design school.
During my studies I had the pleasure of working very closely with Lamborghini, Audi and Italdesign, which was later very important because after graduating I moved to Italdesign under Filippo Perini, the man behind the legendary Lamborghini Aventador and Huracan.
During my time at Italdesign I worked on Italdesign’s Nissan GT-R and the very exclusive Zerouno, as well as a few projects with Lamborghini and a collaboration with Volkswagen on the Transporter.
Therefore, I had the pleasure of learning many tricks of passionate Italian car design from him. And I think that’s very important today because we live in a time where I think eclecticism is very important.
Later and before I come to China, I will work with Hongqi on the H9 executive car.
Now I want to incorporate and mix the passionate culture of Italy with the very efficient Chinese way to create a very emotional and successful car.
As a designer, where do you start – with a product brief or your own sketches and ideas?
One of my favorite slides that I always love to show off is the quick doodles I used to turn the stylized thing into a car.
As a designer, I always like to just take the pencil and sketch and try to figure it out, which is very traditional in the European way of thinking.
This is what I learned from most Italian designers: let your imagination run wild. Don’t worry about anything, just make a few hundred sketches and see what comes out. So let’s start with the freeform.
How much engineering understanding does a designer need, since you obviously have to integrate mechanical components, hardpoints, etc. – or does this compromise only come later in the process?
I think engineering is extremely important. Design is also extremely important. And I believe that it requires excellent collaboration between engineers and designers.
This is something I always want to achieve between my colleagues and the engineers, because in the end what matters most is the quality of the car and its overall appearance. That’s what it’s all about – the relationship between these two teams.
In short, it is very important for a designer to understand the technology of the car.
While Lepas doesn’t have its own electric vehicle yet, do electric vehicles in general offer designers more freedom?
Yes, we have a new energy platform that allows more freedom and we are working on that. So I’m sure we’ll have beautiful things to show you all in the near future.
When did you join the Chery Group?
I joined two years ago. Before that I was at Great Wall and now I’m really excited to share all the experiences and stories with Lepas – it was great.
What has surprised you most about the Chinese automotive industry since your time?
I discovered how brave they are, how efficient it is to build the car in such a short time and make it a successful project.
You know, very good sales, good quality and above all at a lower price, it’s all possible. I wanted to come here and see it with my own eyes. Therefore, I am very happy that I made this decision.
When it comes to the design languages that come from China, we are now seeing strong development rather than imitation. Do you think this is a sign of trust?
Yes, this is an interesting topic. But to make a long story short: yes, we are now seeing designs that are bold and confident.
But you also have to understand that China – unlike Italy, unlike France, unlike the UK – does not have 120 years of experience in the automotive industry. So you need to create some kind of starting point.
You have to spend some time building the family tree, right; Something that France and Italy have had for a long time.
So this is just a natural process. And if we are patient and launch more projects, China will develop its own DNA, which will grow stronger every year.
If you consider porcelain as a product of China. Well, I think this is a very important aspect of the culture because of their natural philosophy and natural energy. That’s why we try to use porcelain as a reference, because all over the world everyone recognizes that porcelain is a luxury product, but it comes from China.
This is a way for us to be inspired by other cultures, such as Western cultures, but also to use porcelain and combine all this knowledge.
That’s why I already mentioned eclecticism. I think this is a good approach to modern design.
China definitely has a lot of design heritage that can be used in this way.
What specifically differentiates Lepas, the brand for whose design you are responsible, from the rest of the group?
The Lepas brand was founded with the pursuit of beauty and its keyword is “Drive Your Elegance”. Or in other words, as we like to say: Grace Life with Brilliance.
So our core audience is the group of people with a sense of elegance, style and fashion.
To achieve this, we believe that nature is simply the best designer in the world. That’s why we explore the nature of beauty, strive for elegant shapes, and design cars that meet the aesthetic needs of users.
And then in the process of creating this beauty, we use precise artistic techniques to create a harmonious unity of art and emotion.
Finally, we believe that every creation should also have a spirit. And we consider the design of an automobile as the creation of a spiritual life, ultimately giving it the lifelike vitality.
The combination of all these values leads us to the purest inspiration for the Lepas brand: the leopard, the perfect embodiment of the power of nature.
And so we explore the nature of this wonderful animal and, in the process of searching for the unity of art and emotion, form the design identity of Lepas, which demonstrates flexibility, elegance and glamour.
How important is a vibrant color palette in defining Lepas?
That’s a good question because Chery has many brands and we always try to give them their own identities.
In the future this will be much easier because we now have strategies on how to do it.
With Lepas, for example, from my own perception, Lepas is the elegant, lithe type – very elegant and charming – while Tiggo is more muscular, angular and robust. And then there is Jaecoo, who is more upright and sober.
You will become even more aware of this in the next year or so. That’s why we work to create the visual difference between all these brands.
Traditionally, for European brands, elegance means muted tones like silver and black. Do you think being colorful will make a difference for Lepas?
It’s a challenge because as designers we have visions, but we also have to present our ideas and they have to resonate with people in Europe, with people in Indonesia, with people in the Middle East.
So we always need an element that ensures success. So when it comes to the possible concept cars, we will always try to introduce some new materials. But we also have to be careful not to alienate ourselves from the more conventional customers who still want to see chrome, shiny black and all that.
Interior design seems to be a crucial element of the Lepas philosophy. You mentioned porcelain as an inspiration. Are you exploring new technologies, materials or ideas like porcelain to make Lepas more unique?
Yes, we are always looking to improve both interior and exterior design and I would like to warmly invite you to our events in April and October where we will present our new projects. Feel free to see where we go.
Here we explain what’s new and what we do behind the scenes.
It is a long process, but it still happens much faster in China than in other countries. So yes, there will soon be more versions, more advanced versions of the Lepas and especially the materials and all that.
The Lepas model range currently consists exclusively of SUVs. Would you like to expand this with more traditional body styles?
Yes, we do, and I would really like to invite you to future events where we have things in stock that are ready to be showcased.
I don’t want to reveal any of it here because I want you to await the moment we present the car without prejudice.
As a designer, I always believe that we shouldn’t give out Easter eggs and just present the car in its beautiful condition.
MORE: Explore the Chery showroom
