When you think of Brazilian car brands, you might think of Gurgel, Puma or Troller at most. But Brazil has a new automotive national pride: Lecar. Lecar plans to introduce the Lecar 459 Hybrid in 2026, at least on the domestic market. The Lecar 459 Hybrid has an electric drivetrain, but also has a small petrol engine on board that functions as a range extender. Lecar Hybrid 459 The drivetrain of the Lecar 459 Hybrid consists of a 163 hp and 258 Nm strong electric motor that drives the rear wheels. This engine is powerful enough to help the electric crossover, which weighs only 1,396 kilos and is 4.35 metres long, to a speed of 100 km/h in 10.9 seconds. No bizarre power or sprint times: the Lecar 459 Hybrid must remain affordable. The car has an 18.4 kWh battery on board. A relatively small package, but that is of course for a reason. The 459 Hybrid has a small petrol engine on board that provides the rest of the power supply. That petrol engine is a 1.0 three-cylinder petrol engine that consumes ethanol as well as petrol. The 1.0 is 116 hp and 200 Nm strong thanks to a turbo, among other things, and was developed by Horse Powertrain Limited, a company in which both Renault Group and Geely each have a 45 percent share. The remaining 10 percent is owned by Aramco. The combustion engine must be quite economical. The regular electric range is 100 kilometers. Fortunately, the 1.0 jumps in to recharge the battery pack. According to the Brazilians, the total range must be 1,000 kilometers. The fuel tank has a capacity of 35 liters. According to its creators, the Lecar 459 Hybrid has 530 liters of luggage space and a wheelbase of 2.7 meters. Seen from the side, the newcomer reminds us somewhat of the Tesla Model Y, although the Lecar 459 Hybrid is a good size smaller in every respect. Lecar promises a 10-year warranty on the battery. Production is scheduled to begin in August 2026. Brazilians who want one can already put themselves on a waiting list. Lecar mentions a starting price of €24,133 for early adopters. To put that into perspective: a Volkswagen T-Cross costs around €20,000 there.
Source: www.autoweek.nl
