Chery, the Chinese carmaker behind the Jaecoo and Omoda brands, is to open a new research and development centre in Bedfordshire this autumn, marking a further step in its rapid UK expansion. The move comes as Chery's sales surge in Britain, with the company also progressing plans to manufacture cars domestically via a deal with Nissan at its Sunderland plant, underlining the growing competitive pressure Chinese manufacturers are placing on established European carmakers.

The new facility will be based at UTAC Millbrook, an existing vehicle testing site also used by engineering, motorsport firms and the Ministry of Defence, giving Chery access to over 70km of test tracks to adapt its cars for UK roads, with future plans covering self-driving technology and AI. Chery's UK market share rose from 3% to almost 8% between July last year and this year, driven partly by the Jaecoo 7, dubbed the "Temu Range Rover", which became Britain's top-selling model in March despite currently being imported from China. Chery, which is part state-owned, plans to recruit local engineers but has not disclosed investment or job creation figures, with mass-market UK production of its cars due to begin from 2027.