Chinese car giant Chery is aiming to become 'a citizen of the UK' by expanding its local operations, including potential manufacturing, according to chairman Yin Tongyue. Speaking at the Chery International Business Summit in Wuhu, China, Yin confirmed the company is in talks with the UK government and exploring partnerships to deepen its presence.
Yin highlighted the UK's technological innovation and financial status, stating: 'We try to be a citizen of the UK. The UK is a very special country. It’s a big country with high technology, a lot of innovation and it’s the finance centre in the world.' He added that Chery plans to localise engineering, R&D, finance and manufacturing.
Chery has a long-standing partnership with JLR in China since 2012, and Yin emphasised a commitment to 'make JLR bigger and great again.' The company has also held high-level talks with the UK government, including two meetings with the Prime Minister, and is considering reviving historic British brands, similar to the successful MG model.
Chery's UK sales have surged, with its brands Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo achieving a 5.86 per cent market share in 2025 so far. The Jaecoo 7 SUV was the UK's best-selling new car in March. Globally, Chery International aims to reach one million sales per year by 2027, driven by new brands like Freelander, Lepas and iCar.
Yin also revealed plans to set up a trading company to export UK products to China, addressing the trade imbalance. 'We take products locally back to China – so a heavy container comes in, and we can carry the container back,' he said.
