- Jaguar Land Rover could build Chery vehicles in the UK.
- This could help the company to increase plant utilization.
- The government is said to be supportive of the move.
Jaguar built its last ICE-powered vehicle in December and is busy twiddling its thumbs until the production version of the Type 00 concept debuts later this year. However, even when that model arrives, it will be a low-production EV with a six-figure price tag.
This means Jaguar is going to have a ton of excess production capacity, and a new report suggests the company could use it to build Chinese vehicles in the United Kingdom. This could be a win-win scenario, although other automakers could suffer.
British Factories May Soon Assemble Chinese Cars
According to the Financial Times, Jaguar Land Rover could be tapped to make Chery vehicles in the UK. This would be an interesting development and the proposal is said to have the support of the British government, which has reportedly been courting Chery for years in hopes of securing a local foothold.
More: Jaguar Just Built Its Last Gas-Power Vehicle, But You Wouldn’t Know It From Them
JLR and Chery are reportedly having “exploratory talks” during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing. However, Auto Express reports the two companies are on the “brink of signing a deal.”
A Decade-Long Partnership Could Expand
Whatever the case, Jaguar Land Rover and Chery have a long-standing relationship. They formed a joint-venture in 2012 and the Changshu plant opened two years later with an annual production capacity of 130,000 units. An engine plant followed in 2017, while the joint venture announced plans for a Freelander brand in 2024.
According to SMMT, 5,517 Chery vehicles were registered in the United Kingdom last year. However, that figure excludes models from Omoda (19,855) and Jaecoo (28,232). Adding all those up results in a combined total of 76,319 units. That compares to just 62,445 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles registered in 2025.
Read: Jaguar Denies Its Making A Hybrid, But Not Everyone’s Convinced
It’s also worth noting that Chery Group vehicles outsold Citroen, Cupra, Dacia, Fiat, Honda, Jeep, Mazda, Mini, Renault, Seat, Tesla, and Volvo – just to name a few. That’s pretty impressive and establishing a UK manufacturing base could enable them to get an even greater foothold in Europe.
