Chinese car giant Chery wants to become 'a citizen of the UK', with plans for British branding, manufacturing, and exports, alongside closer ties with JLR. Chairman Yin Tongyue confirmed the ambition after two meetings with the Prime Minister.
Chery's UK Expansion Plans
Speaking at the Chery International Business Summit in Wuhu, China, Yin said Chery aims to expand beyond its current UK sales operation. 'We try to be a citizen of the UK,' he stated. '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 emphasised localisation: 'We strongly prepare to be local: local engineering, local R&D, local finance, local manufacturing.'
Potential Nissan Factory Use and European HQ
Reports suggest Chery has discussed using Nissan's Sunderland factory to build vehicles, while its Delivan commercial vehicle brand will base its European headquarters in Liverpool. However, Yin focused on Chery's partnership with JLR to boost British business.
Strengthening JLR Partnership
Chery has partnered with JLR in China since 2012 and recently revealed the first Freelander model, designed by JLR in the UK and engineered by Chery in China. 'We get a lot of support from JLR, people work very closely,' Yin said, adding, 'We have some responsibility to make JLR bigger and great again.' He expressed interest in owning British brands like Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover: 'Once I have a JLR, once I have a Chery, I own it. And then maybe we can get some local brand to be realised again.'
Reviving Old British Brands
Guibing Zhang, president of Chery International, confirmed discussions about using a British brand beyond Freelander. 'We are very interesting to recover some old brands in the UK,' he said. 'We hope in the future in the UK we also can recover what the UK people like, a very lovely brand we can do together.' Yin added: 'If available, we want a UK brand. A UK brand is very fancy, such as MG – it’s very successful.'
Government Support and Trade Balance
Yin reported strong UK government support, having met the Prime Minister twice. 'The UK government just said that the UK used to be the biggest car maker in the world, but from 2016 the government was a mess. So how can we make [the UK] fly again?' He promised to invest in local teams and capacity, stating, 'We just say: be somewhere, for somewhere. We say in the UK for the UK.' To address trade imbalance, Yin plans a trading company to export UK products to China: 'We take products locally back to China – so a heavy container comes in, and we can carry the container back.'
Chery's UK Market Success
Chery International has achieved rapid UK growth, with Chery, Omoda, and Jaecoo brands reaching 2.65% market share in 2025 (53,604 sales). In 2026, market share has risen to 5.86%, with the Jaecoo 7 SUV becoming Britain's best-selling new car in March. Globally, Omoda and Jaecoo surpassed one million sales, targeting one million per year by 2027. Growth will come from new brands like Freelander, Lepas, and iCar 4x4, plus new models across existing brands.
