
Chery’s Lepas moves into premium SUV segment
Chery’s latest international brand, LEPAS, has reached a major milestone as its first model – the L8 – officially rolls off the production line.
- Industry News
- 25 April 2025
JLR reports growing demand for plug-in hybrid models, with global retail sales for the first half of the financial year up 29% compared to the prior year, as more customers use the technology as a stepping stone towards battery electric vehicles (BEV).
For the Range Rover brand, global plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) retail sales were up 47% in the first half of this financial year, while Defender PHEV global retail sales were up 23% compared to the previous financial year.
This builds upon accelerated growth of JLR’s global PHEV sales, which increased 59% year-on-year in FY24 vs FY23, while new Range Rover PHEV retail sales nearly doubled over the same period.
Mark Camilleri, Director of Electrification Services, says demand is growing for our plug-in electric hybrid models as clients become more accustomed to electrification. “PHEVs offer performance, fuel economy and low emissions, with zero emissions while driving in pure electric mode. They also give clients the opportunity to adapt to a new ownership experience, including home and public charging, ahead of the launch of our next generation fully electric vehicles.
“JLR is able to offer a range of fuel options to meet the energy transition dynamics of each market, and we will offer a pure electric variant of each nameplate by 2030 with the aim of reaching carbon net zero by 2039.”
With its modular longitudinal architecture (MLA) on which Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are built, JLR will offer clients internal combustion engine (ICE), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and soon, battery electric vehicle (BEV) options, well into the next decade.
JLR currently has over 48 000 clients on the waiting list for Range Rover Electric, which is the first in a line-up of new zero emissions luxury electric vehicles from its brands.
Widespread rains over large parts of South Africa recently led to rivers breaking their banks and, in some cases, flooding streets and homes. The volume of water has raised concerns among agricultural economists over possible damage to crops.
22 April marks Earth Day 2025, a global movement dedicated to educating and empowering businesses and individuals to make more sustainable choices, particularly in renewable energy.
In 2025, Chery will introduce 19 hybrid models across the HEV (hybrid electric vehicle), PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) and REEV (range-extender electric vehicle) categories.