Chery will open a UK research and development centre at UTAC Millbrook in Bedfordshire in late autumn 2026, giving its engineers local access to chassis, driver-assistance and electric-vehicle test facilities.
The centre will initially focus on chassis dynamics and advanced driver assistance system calibration for vehicles sold in Britain. Chery says the work will reflect local conditions such as narrow lanes, roundabouts, tight corners and mixed road surfaces, as well as UK drivers’ expectations for steering and suspension response.
UTAC Millbrook gives Chery access to more than 70 km of purpose-built tracks and facilities for EV battery testing, vehicle validation and automated-driving systems. That should let engineers tune UK-specification cars closer to the market instead of relying only on development work carried out elsewhere.
The site also has an expanded battery test centre plus crash, fire and connected-vehicle facilities, giving Chery room to broaden the programme beyond its initial chassis and ADAS brief.
Chery plans to recruit local engineering staff. Over time, the centre could take on work in autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.
The facility will join Chery Automobile’s global R&D network. In Britain, the group currently sells vehicles under the Omoda & Jaecoo and Chery brands, with Lepas due to follow.
Chery International UK chief executive Gary Lan said the Millbrook operation would turn customer feedback into changes to ride, steering and active-safety systems. He said the company had waited more than 20 years to enter Britain and wanted a permanent engineering presence rather than simply importing cars.
The move follows another step towards deeper UK operations. In June, Nissan and Chery International UK signed a non-binding agreement to study contract manufacturing of Chery passenger vehicles at Nissan’s Sunderland plant.
Chery’s electrified sales are rising at the same time. The group sold 276,820 vehicles globally in July, including 129,067 new-energy vehicles. Exports reached 202,533 units, up 70.1% year on year, making Chery the first Chinese carmaker to exceed 200,000 exports in a single month.
