Chery is looking to grow its production presence in Europe, but instead of building entirely new factories, the Chinese automaker prefers to work with existing facilities through partnerships with other car companies.
The strategy would allow Chery to expand more quickly, reduce costs, and avoid the huge investments required to build a new factory from scratch.
Lionel French Keogh, Chery’s commercial chief in France, said the company is actively searching for additional production capacity in Europe as it prepares to expand its Omoda and Jaecoo brands in the French market.
Chery chairman Yin Tongyue also explained that using existing factories is the best option for the company right now, especially since building a new plant takes a lot of time and money. He added that success will depend on finding the right local partners, with more details expected to be announced in the coming months.
While Chery has not revealed which automakers it is talking to or which countries it is targeting, France appears to be one of the strongest candidates.
Since entering Europe in 2023, Chery has seen rapid growth, much like BYD. According to Dataforce, the company’s European sales jumped from around 17,000 vehicles to more than 120,000 vehicles in just one year.
Chery has already started building cars in Europe through its joint venture with Ebro at Nissan’s former factory in Barcelona. The company aims to increase annual production there to 200,000 vehicles by 2029.
However, even that number may not be enough to meet growing demand in Europe, especially with rising tariffs on Chinese EVs and stricter EU local-content rules.
France is also one of the latest major European markets where Chery has started offering Omoda and Jaecoo models. The company is expected to launch a new Chery-branded model later this year, along with a possible small electric SUV before the end of 2026.
Chery recently confirmed plans to introduce its new Lepas brand in Europe as well.
Globally, Chery’s sales rose by nearly 7% last year to reach 2.8 million vehicles, with overseas markets accounting for more than 47% of total sales.
