Chery Scores Triple Breakthroughs in European Market
Chery has notched three key breakthroughs in the European market over the past week — launching local operations, partnering with a top-tier motorsport series, and hitting new sales highs. The trio of milestones signals a shift for Chinese automakers from pure exports to the full-stack global rollout of brands, technology, and systems.
On April 8 (local time) in Spain, Chery inaugurated its European Operations Center and Spain R&D Institute in Barcelona. The former marks the company’s first comprehensive regional operations hub overseas, giving Chery full capabilities in local R&D, operations, and after sales across Europe. The latter will focus on new energy and intelligent connectivity technologies, and deeply collaborate with European research institutions and supply chains to develop products with a more local flavor. This launch is regarded as a crucial step for Chery to deepen its presence in the European market — a transition from “going global” to “integrating locally”.
On April 9 (local time) in France, Chery Group signed a cooperation agreement with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in Paris. ACO is the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world-class endurance race. Renowned for its extreme tests of vehicle reliability and technical stability, the Le Mans race will not only validate Chery’s technologies but also enhance the brand recognition of Chery in the global markets, especially among European consumers.
Meanwhile, sales figures from the terminal market has also provided endorsement for Chery’s development in Europe. According to the data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on April 7, Chery ranked second among all brands in the UK market in March, trailing only Volkswagen and overtaking BMW, Audi, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla, which also indicated that Chery was the sole Chinese brand in the top 10 with a year-on-year growth exceeding 480%. In terms of specific models, JAECOO 7 outsold Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai to become the UK’s best-selling vehicle that month, setting another record for Chinese automakers.
The above achievements have broken the monthly ranking records for Chinese automotive brands and models in the UK market, and also reflect Chery’s rapidly growing acceptance in the mainstream markets of Europe. Autocar, the UK’s authoritative car publication, commented that JAECOO 7 is remarkably rising at breakneck speed and will become a household name in the UK .
From a macro perspective, one in every five vehicles exported from China comes from Chery. For every five new energy vehicles exported by Chery, one is bound for Europe. In March, 85% of JAECOO 7 sales in the UK were new energy vehicles. Europe has become one of the most important growth markets in Chery’s global development.
Chery says that the launch of the European Operations Center and the Spain R&D Institute marks a shift from exporting products to outputting localized systemic capabilities in overseas markets. Going forward, the company will stay user-centric, accelerating the local application of new energy and intelligent technologies to offer European consumers greener, safer, smarter mobility options. With R&D, motorsport partnerships, and market performance advancing in tandem, Chery’s systemic capabilities in Europe are taking shape — laying solid groundwork for its further sustained growth.