Jaecoo owner Chery takes ‘next step’ in UK push with R&D centre

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Daniel, A. (2026, August 20). Jaecoo owner Chery takes ‘next step’ in UK push with R&D centre. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/19/chinese-carmaker-chery-to-set-up-uk-research-centre

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-08-20 · by Alex Daniel

Quick Summary

The Chinese carmaker Chery is expanding its presence in the UK with a new research and development centre, which will be located at an existing vehicle testing facility in Bedfordshire. The move comes as Chery's sales are growing rapidly in Britain, with its brands accounting for nearly 8% of the UK market share in July. The company plans to use the R&D site to fine-tune its cars for UK roads and eventually work on self-driving cars and artificial intelligence. Chery already has a deal with Nissan to manufacture its cars at Sunderland plant from 2027, marking a major milestone for Chinese car production in Britain.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Chery Automobile, a Chinese carmaker, is opening a research and development (R&D) centre in England as part of its expansion plans in the UK. The company, which owns brands such as Jaecoo and Omoda, says this new facility will allow it to develop and test vehicles specifically designed for British roads and drivers. Chery's sales have been growing rapidly in the UK market, with its brands accounting for nearly 8% of UK market share in July, up from 3% last year. The company has also signed a deal with Nissan to begin building cars at its Sunderland plant in 2027, marking the first time mass-market Chinese car production will occur in the UK. The new R&D centre is expected to open in late autumn and is seen as a key step in Chery's long-term plan for Britain.

Written for “Chinese Automaker Expansion” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Chinese Automaker Expansion
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 1950 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Alex Daniel
15 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Alex Daniel
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 15 articles by Alex Daniel →

Topics

Britain Chery Chinese European Jaecoo

Subjects

Chery ORG · 10× Chinese NORP · 5× Britain GPE · 3× European NORP · 3× Jaecoo ORG · 3× China GPE · 1× England GPE · 1× Nissan ORG · 1× Omoda ORG · 1× the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ORG · 1×

Narrative

She added: “Creating a stand-alone engineering centre here means Chery Automobile can develop and validate vehicles against the particular demands of UK roads and UK drivers, with direct access to our engineering expertise and testing environments throughout that process.”
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-20
🔮 The company is part-owned by the Chinese state and has already signed a deal with Nissan to build its cars at its Sunderland plant, in a move that would begin mass-market Chinese car production in Britain for the first time from 2027.
2026-08-20 · The Guardian
Jaecoo owner Chery takes ‘next step’ in UK push with R&D centre · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

The Chinese carmaker behind the irreverently nicknamed “Temu Range Rover” is plotting further UK expansion with a major research and development centre in England. asserted
carmaker → nickname → England
Chery, which makes the Jaecoo and Omoda car brands, said the launch of a new R&D site was “the next step in our long-term plan” for Britain as it also moves towards manufacturing its cars in the UK. asserted
it → make → UK
Chery’s sales are growing at breakneck pace in Britain. asserted
sales → grow → Britain
In July, the Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo brands accounted for nearly 8% of UK market share, up from 3% last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. uncertain
brands → account → Manufacturers
The China-built Jaecoo 7, known as the “Temu Range Rover” for its low price and techy add-ons, became the top-selling model in the UK in March, but Chery currently has to bring it in from abroad. asserted
Chery → build → it
The company is part-owned by the Chinese state and has already signed a deal with Nissan to build its cars at its Sunderland plant, in a move that would begin mass-market Chinese car production in Britain for the first time from 2027. asserted
that → own → 2027
The new R&D facility would open in late autumn, Chery said on Wednesday. asserted
Chery → open → Wednesday
Gary Lan, the chief executive of its UK business, said: “We waited over 20 years for the right time to enter this market, and our ambition has always gone much further than simply bringing vehicles here.” asserted
ambition → say → vehicles
An existing vehicle testing centre in Bedfordshire that is used by engineering and motorsport companies – as well as the Ministry of Defence – will be the site of Chery’s new R&D facility. asserted
that → exist → facility
The centre, called UTAC Millbrook, will give Chery access to more than 70km (43 miles) of purpose-built test tracks for it to fine-tune its cars for UK roads. asserted
it → call → roads
Further down the line it will also use the site to work on self-driving cars and artificial intelligence. asserted
it → use → cars
Chinese manufacturers’ arrival as a major force in the car industry has put enormous pressure on traditional European rivals. asserted
arrival → put → rivals
Chinese companies have been able to undercut European companies in building electrified cars because of state subsidies, lower labour costs and the country’s dominance in the battery industry. asserted
companies → undercut → industry
Chery also launched its Lepas brand – its fourth in the UK – last February, aimed at younger families in the European market. asserted
Chery → launch → market
Kirsty Andrew, the vice-president of UTAC UK, said the new R&D centre was “a significant commitment to engineering and vehicle development in the UK”. asserted
centre → say → UK
She added: “Creating a stand-alone engineering centre here means Chery Automobile can develop and validate vehicles against the particular demands of UK roads and UK drivers, with direct access to our engineering expertise and testing environments throughout that process.” asserted
Automobile → add → process
Chery said it eventually planned to recruit local talent and create engineering jobs in the area – but did not say how much it would invest in the site or how many jobs would be created. asserted
jobs → say → site
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