Chinese automaker Chery plans to open a research and development center in the United Kingdom for passenger vehicles, expanding the market footprint of its Omoda and Jaecoo brands.
The move comes as the company accelerates its push into Europe, with demand for its vehicles continuing to surge.
Chery rolled out the Lepas brand in February, developed specifically for European buyers. In June, it signed a deal with Nissan to assemble its vehicles at the Japanese carmaker's plant in Sunderland, England.
The company confirmed on Wednesday that its new research and development center will be based at UTAC Millbrook — the vehicle development and testing hub in Bedfordshire, England — and is slated to open later this year.
Chery said the center's initial work will focus on fine-tuning the company's cars for UK driving conditions, expanding over time to autonomous driving and AI. The Bedfordshire area is a hub for engineering and motorsport, hosting several automotive R&D centers.
