Chinese giant Chery has announced that it will bring its iCaur off-roaders to the UK in the coming months, confirming a recent Autocar scoop.
We reported last month that the 'adventure'-focused SUV brand had started customer clinics in the UK as it evaluated the viability of a market launch - and now it has confirmed it will come here in early 2027.
iCaur will be Chery's fifth brand in the UK, joining Omoda, Jaecoo, Chery and Lepas. Freelander, the company's joint venture with JLR, is set to follow down the line, as could the Jetour SUV brand.
iCaur, which is called iCar in China but renamed elsewhere to avoid a dispute with Apple, will start with the V27, a chunky, Defender-sized 4x4 that uses a 450bhp range-extender EV powertrain in other markets.
It hasn't yet said whether it will offer the V27 with exactly the same powertrain in the UK but has confirmed it will be electrified and "will deliver electrified efficiency alongside off-road capability".
Other cars from the Chery group currently offer petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric power in the UK.
iCaur said it "arrives with the backing, experience and resources" of its parent company but will operate "as a standalone brand", unlike Omoda and Jaecoo, which share a retail network.
The V27 has been seen testing in camouflage on UK roads recently, Chery having opened a new engineering base at the Millbrook test track in Bedfordshire to adapt its models to suit UK market requirements.
The company has given no indication of how much the V27 will cost in the UK, but opened order books in select European markets earlier this month, with prices starting from €55,000 - equivalent to around £46,000. JLR's cheapest Defender 110 costs around £18,000 more than that.
iCaur also sells a smaller, pure-electric crossover called the V23, which hasn't yet been confirmed for the UK but could follow the V27 into showrooms, given the popularity of such models in the market.
There's also the mid-sized V25, which uses a REx powertrain like the V27.
Details of iCaur's retail operation in the UK remain to be confirmed, but Autocar understands that Chery has begun the dealer recruitment process and has been showing the V27 to prospective vendors.
