Chery adds to UK momentum with fourth brand launch

Chery has announced it will launch its fourth brand in the UK, continuing its major push into a market where it has quickly established itself as a major player. The Chinese state-owned automaker confirmed on 4 February it would sell cars under the Lepas brand, which is developing battery-electric and hybrid SUVs aimed primarily at younger families in European markets.

The decision to add a fourth brand builds on Chery’s prior efforts to build its market share in the UK—a country that notably lacks the China-specific duties imposed in North America and by the EU. Lepas-branded cars will initially be built in China and then shipped over to the UK, although the British government remains hopeful that the automaker will decide to manufacture locally in the future. The new brand launch also comes just days after Chery announced it would open a research and development headquarters in Liverpool for commercial vehicles.

Chery debuted in the UK back in 2024 with the launch of its Omoda brand, which it followed with the introductions of Jaecoo in January 2025 and its eponymous brand the following August. The company sold 53,600 cars in 2025 in the UK—equating to 2.7% of the total car market. In doing so it outsold compatriot brand BYD, electric vehicle pioneer Tesla, and British icon Mini. In January 2026, Chery sold nearly 6,100 cars in the UK, most of which were hybrids.

Chery has not yet committed to manufacturing in the UK but has signalled it is weighing the option. Last June, the automaker’s UK Director, Victor Zhang, stated the company was “actively considering” building a plant as part of a localisation strategy. At the same time, people close to Chery have cited high energy and labour costs as major hurdles to local production.

According to a Financial Times report from January, Jaguar Land Rover is in early-stage discussions over a potential deal to use spare capacity at its UK factories to make Chery vehicles, although no agreement has yet been announced. The proposal was backed by the UK government and said to be a point of discussion during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s February visit to Beijing.