China's Chery Automobile to set up UK research centre

Chery Automobile has announced plans for a research and development base in Britain, with operations due to begin in late autumn 2026, according to Business Recorder. The site will be a testing and development complex for vehicles at UTAC Millbrook in Bedfordshire, and the company made the announcement on Wednesday.

The timing follows a rise in British interest in Chinese vehicles. SMMT data show Chinese brands reached roughly 15% of UK new car registrations during the first six months of this year, compared with about 10% across all of last year, helped by sharp pricing. MG and BYD, alongside Chery's JAECOO and OMODA, are among the top Chinese names for British buyers.

Chery says the Bedfordshire facility will first focus on chassis and driver-assistance systems adapted to UK motorists, later widening into self-driving technology and AI. Separately, a pact with Japanese carmaker Nissan is being used to examine producing Chery's British passenger cars at the Sunderland plant. UTAC UK vice president Kirsty Andrew described the project as the latest step in a long-standing engineering relationship with Chery.