Chery Automobile Co. Ltd (Chery Automobile) has announced a major expansion of its international R&D footprint with the establishment of a new UK R&D centre of excellence at the
www.utac.com UTAC Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire. The new facility will open in late autumn 2026. Founded in China in 1997,
Chery Automobile is the corporate and manufacturing entity behind a growing portfolio of automotive brands. Its operations outside China are managed through Chery International, with its current and forthcoming UK brand portfolio spanning
OMODA&JAECOO, Chery and
LEPAS.
Fully integrated into Chery Automobile’s global R&D network, the new facility represents the next step in Chery International’s “In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere” philosophy: establishing meaningful local operations and developing products around the specific requirements of individual markets. The initial focus will be chassis dynamics and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) tuning and calibration for UK-specification vehicles. Driven by customer feedback, this reflects the UK’s distinct driving conditions – a high concentration of roundabouts, narrow lanes, sharp corners, high traffic density, and varied road surfaces – as well as UK drivers' preference for more responsive steering and suspension systems.
Customer feedback has already helped drive enhancements across vehicles offered in the UK. The new R&D Centre of Excellence is designed to bring that insight closer to the development process, while creating opportunities to recruit local engineering talent and expand into further disciplines over time, including autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.
Gary Lan, CEO of Chery International UK said: “The establishment of our UK R&D Centre of Excellence is the next step in our long-term plan for the UK. 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. Our approach is ‘In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere’: building a lasting presence, investing in local capability and developing products around the people who drive them. With OMODA&JAECOO established, Chery growing and LEPAS to follow, that local capability is increasingly important. UTAC Millbrook allows us to turn UK customer insight into product development, from ride and steering to active safety systems. It is another step in our long-term investment in the UK, and its work will become part of Chery Automobile’s wider global R&D activities.”
The selection of UTAC Millbrook builds on Chery Automobile’s long-standing relationship with UTAC Group, including a homologation services joint venture established in 2024 and utilisation of the UTAC Group’s Linas-Montlhéry facility in France, which Chery Automobile uses for active safety, passive safety and homologation. At UTAC Millbrook, Chery Automobile’s engineering teams will have access to more than 70km of purpose-built test tracks, including the Hill Route, Alpine Circuit and specialised durability and Noise, Vibration, and Harshness surfaces, alongside battery testing laboratories, powertrain testing facilities, semi-anechoic chambers; alongside ADAS and autonomous vehicle testing capabilities.
Kirsty Andrew, vice president UTAC UK, said: “The decision by Chery Automobile to establish its UK R&D Centre of Excellence at UTAC Millbrook is a significant commitment to engineering and vehicle development in the UK. 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. This is about much more than testing individual vehicles. We see this as the sustained momentum of a long-term engineering relationship with Chery Automobile, and we look forward to supporting the team as its capability and development activity at Millbrook grows.”
The establishment of a dedicated UK R&D capability comes as the wider Chery business continues to grow. In July, Chery Group’s global business sold 276,820 vehicles, including 129,067 New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). Exports (Chery International) reached 202,533 units, up 70.1% year on year and making Chery Group the first Chinese automaker to exceed 200,000 exports in a single month. From January to July 2026, Chery International’s export deliveries reached 1.146 million units, an increase of 71.2% year on year, equivalent to a Chery Automobile-manufactured vehicle entering the global market every 16 seconds.
The performance comes as Chery Group’s cumulative global sales surpassed 20 million vehicles in July, while Chery Auto reached No. 383 in the Fortune Global 500, marking its first appearance in the ranking as a publicly listed company. Together, the milestones underline the scale and pace of the business’ continued global growth. The new UK R&D Centre of Excellence represents the latest step in that strategy: strengthening Chery Automobile’s engineering presence in the UK, supporting the continued development of its OMODA&JAECOO, Chery and LEPAS portfolio, and bringing its “In somewhere, For somewhere, Be Somewhere” philosophy to life.