Chery Automobile is strengthening its presence in the UK with a new R&D Centre of Excellence at the UTAC Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire, with the facility scheduled to open in late autumn 2026.
The new UK engineering centre will become part of Chery Automobile’s global research and development network and will focus initially on chassis dynamics and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for vehicles developed for the British market.
The move signals a deeper commitment to local vehicle development as Chery expands its UK portfolio, which currently includes OMODA&JAECOO and Chery, with LEPAS also planned for the market.
Chery says the new facility reflects its “In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere” strategy, which aims to establish stronger local operations and adapt vehicles to the specific requirements of individual markets.
For the UK, that means engineering vehicles around conditions that can differ significantly from those found in other markets.
British roads feature a high number of roundabouts, narrow lanes, sharp corners, heavy traffic and widely varying road surfaces. Chery also says feedback from UK customers has highlighted a preference for more responsive steering and suspension characteristics.
The new R&D centre will allow those requirements to be incorporated directly into vehicle development rather than relying solely on testing and calibration carried out elsewhere.
“UTAC Millbrook allows us to turn UK customer insight into product development, from ride and steering to active safety systems,” said Gary Lan, CEO of Chery International UK and Vice President of the Right-Hand-Drive Division at Chery International.
The centre is also expected to create opportunities for Chery to recruit UK-based engineering talent and eventually expand its activities into areas such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.
Chery selected UTAC Millbrook partly because of the extensive testing infrastructure available at the Bedfordshire site.
Engineering teams will have access to more than 70 km of purpose-built test tracks, including the Hill Route and Alpine Circuit, as well as durability and Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) testing surfaces.
The site also provides access to battery testing laboratories, powertrain testing facilities, semi-anechoic chambers and equipment for ADAS and autonomous vehicle development.
The new centre builds on Chery Automobile’s existing relationship with UTAC Group. The companies established a homologation services joint venture in 2024, while Chery also uses UTAC’s Linas-Montlhéry facility in France for active safety, passive safety and homologation work.
Kirsty Andrew, Vice President of UTAC UK, said the new centre represents a significant commitment to vehicle engineering and development in Britain.
Rather than simply testing finished vehicles, the facility will allow Chery engineers to develop and validate vehicles specifically against UK road conditions and driver expectations.
Chery’s Global Expansion Accelerates
The UK R&D investment comes as Chery continues to expand rapidly outside China.
Chery Group sold 276,820 vehicles globally in July 2026, including 129,067 New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). Chery International accounted for 202,533 export deliveries during the month, representing a 70.1% increase compared with July 2025.
That made Chery the first Chinese automaker to surpass 200,000 export vehicles in a single month.
Between January and July 2026, Chery International exported 1.146 million vehicles, up 71.2% year over year. The company says that equates to a Chery Automobile vehicle entering the global market approximately every 16 seconds.
Chery Group also surpassed 20 million cumulative global vehicle sales in July, while Chery Auto reached No. 383 in the Fortune Global 500 following its first appearance in the ranking as a publicly listed company.
More UK-Specific Chery EV Development Ahead
The new UK R&D Centre of Excellence could become increasingly important as Chery expands its range of electrified vehicles and brands in Britain.
Starting with chassis tuning and ADAS calibration, the centre gives Chery a dedicated local engineering capability that can respond directly to UK customer feedback and driving conditions.
The approach could also help Chery differentiate its vehicles in an increasingly competitive UK EV market, where ride comfort, steering response, driver-assistance performance and real-world usability are becoming important factors alongside range and charging performance.
With OMODA&JAECOO already established, the Chery brand expanding and LEPAS set to follow, the new facility represents a significant step beyond simply importing vehicles into the UK.
For Chery, the goal is to build vehicles for the UK market, rather than simply sell vehicles in it.
