Chery to launch iCar brand in UK as iCaur with V27 SUV in early 2027

• iCar will enter the UK under its overseas name iCaur, becoming Chery's fifth brand in the market.
• The first model will be the 5-seat V27 SUV, with UK pricing and powertrain specifications yet to be announced.

Chery (HKEX: 9973) is bringing its iCar brand to the UK, with sales set to begin in early 2027, expanding its lineup as it seeks a larger share of the market.

The brand will enter Britain under its overseas name iCaur, led by the 5-seat V27 SUV, Bloomberg and Reuters reported on Thursday.

iCaur will become Chery's fifth brand in the UK, joining Omoda, Jaecoo, Lepas and its namesake brand.

The expansion extends Chery's multibrand strategy since entering the UK through Omoda in 2024. Its brands have rapidly gained market share.

Chery's brands held a combined 7% share of the UK market in the first 9 months of this year, making it the country's top-selling Chinese automaker, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Their combined share reached 9.4% in September, when the Jaecoo 7 became the UK's best-selling model.

The boxy V27 is iCar's flagship SUV. It went on sale in China in March this year as the brand's first extended-range electric vehicle.

UK pricing and powertrain specifications for the V27 have yet to be announced.

In other markets, the V27 uses an extended-range electric powertrain with an onboard combustion engine, though it remains unclear whether the UK version will use the same setup.

Chery will develop and tune the V27 for British roads at its new research and development center at UTAC Millbrook, according to UK newspaper The Independent.

iCaur will also have a dedicated team and its own sales channels, separate from Chery's other brands already in the UK.

iCaur vehicles are currently sold in 40 countries. The brand is also expanding local production overseas, with the V23 SUV rolling off the assembly line in Malaysia in July this year.