Overview
- Chery Commercial Vehicle confirmed a Liverpool base to anchor its European operations, with a focus on R&D, engineering and commercial development rather than vehicle manufacturing.
- The Financial Times reported exploratory discussions about producing Chery models at underused Jaguar Land Rover plants in the UK, with conversations tied to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing.
- UK ministers have signalled support for partnerships that use spare domestic capacity, with Business Secretary Peter Kyle noting the logic of deals that match manufacturers with underutilised facilities.
- Jaguar ended internal‑combustion production in December 2025 and is pivoting to low‑volume EVs, a shift that has left JLR with excess UK capacity during its transition.
- Chery’s UK presence has expanded quickly through its own brand and the Omoda and Jaecoo sub‑brands, while EU tariffs on China‑built EVs and the UK’s differing stance strengthen incentives to localise some operations in Europe.