Jaecoo's 'Temu Range Rover' tops UK sales charts for a second month in a row as its parent company plots 'becoming a British brand'

The Jaecoo 7, now better known as the 'Temu Range Rover', has topped the UK new car sales charts for a second month running as the Chinese SUV bids to become the nation's best-selling car of 2026.Some 3,412 examples of the bargain-basement Range Rover lookalike were delivered in October, more than any other model on the market, official figures confirmed this morning.Having surged to the number-one spot during the peak registration months of March and September, the affordable SUV has now been Britain's best-selling car in three of the year's first ten months.It edged out the Ford Puma in October by just 43 registrations. With November and December figures still to come, the Puma's lead in the annual standings has been cut to 3,410 units, a deficit that Jaecoo could yet overturn as it looks to finish the year on a high.The popularity of the 7 highlights the seismic shift in the UK car market over the last two years, with British buyers increasingly won over by a new wave of cheaper, well-equipped Chinese models.Jaecoo's parent company, Chery, and rival BYD have been the biggest beneficiaries, with more than one in ten (11.2 per cent) of all new cars registered in Britain this year sold by these two Chinese giants alone.This remarkable rise of vehicles from the East Asian nation, and the Jaecoo 7 in particular, comes amid reports that Chery Group intends to 'become a British brand' by establishing a new R&D centre in Bedfordshire and designing future models in the UK.Chery is also continuing to assess the possibility of manufacturing cars in Britain, particularly amid suggestions that Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is considering tariffs on vehicles imported from China. The Jaecoo 7 has a very storng chance of becoming Britain's best-selling new car of 2026 as the Chinese Range Rover lookalike topped the registration charts for a third month The 7 was not the only Jaecoo model to feature in October's top-ten best-seller list; the smaller Jaecoo 5 ranked tenth with 2,171 deliveries.Combining all four Chery Group brands, Jaecoo, Omoda, Chery and Lepas, the Chinese firm sold almost 13,600 vehicles in Britain last month.Only Volkswagen, with 13,687 deliveries, shifted more new cars in October.BYD, meanwhile, recorded 6,065 registrations, outselling established rivals including Ford, Nissan, Mini and Vauxhall.The other Chinese-built model to make the top ten was the MG HS SUV. It ranked eighth with 2,393 sales as the Shanghai-owned brand climbed to fourth in the monthly manufacturer standings, behind only Volkswagen, BMW and Audi.MG confirmed on Thursday morning that it has sold more cars in the first ten months of this year than it did during the whole of 2025, such has been the scale of appetite.Across the wider market, more than one in five (21.6 per cent) new cars registered in October were Chinese-built models.For 2026 as a whole, UK motorists have snapped up almost 338,000 vehicles from Chinese brands, accounting for 18 per cent of all registrations. Some 3,412 examples of the Jaecoo 7 were delivered in October to become the nation's best seller. It also topped the charts in March and September With two months remaining, the Ford Puma's lead in the annual sales standing is just 3,410 units - a deficit that Jaecoo could yet overturn as it looks to finish the year on a highJoin the discussionHow do you feel about British roads being dominated by cheaper Chinese cars instead of traditional UK and European brands?What's your view?China driving new car market amid threat of tariffsChina's newcomers are responsible for almost all of the growth recorded for Britain's new car market this year.October registrations rose by 5.4 per cent to 152,730 units, marking an 11th consecutive month of progress, according to data shared by the motor industry trade body.Year-to-date sales are up almost 10 per cent, increasing from 1,723,117 in the first ten months of 2025 to 1.892 million over the same period this year.China's growing influence on the UK market is also reflected in rising sales of plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles, the powertrains most commonly being brought to showrooms by Chinese brands.Plug-in hybrid registrations jumped 30 per cent to secure a 15 per cent market share in October, while EV deliveries climbed 32.7 per cent to account for almost a third (32 per cent) of all registrations. Chinese newcomer car brands are responsible for almost all of the growth recorded for Britain's new vehicle market this year Chinese carmakers are also driving the shift to plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars - the fuel types East Asian brands tend to specialise inHowever, that growth could be curtailed if the Prime Minister follows the EU's lead and imposes tariffs on Chinese electric cars.Andy Burnham along with his Business Secretary are reportedly considering new levies amid concerns in Brussels that Beijing is using the UK as a 'back door' for state-subsidised vehicles entering Europe.Britain remains one of the few major markets without significant tariffs on Chinese EVs, while the US market is effectively closed and the EU imposes duties of up to 45 per cent.The Government has so far resisted such measures to avoid damaging relations with China, with imports proving hugely popular among British buyers and Chinese companies planning significant investments in the UK.In a recent interview with a number of automotive publications, including Auto Express, Chery Automobile chairman Yin Tongyue outlined the company's ambition to 'be a British brand', a move that could potentially shield it from any future levies.Speaking at a roundtable conference, he said: 'In the future, I really want to have products designed in the UK, engineered in the UK and produced in the UK, to sell worldwide.'Mr Yin's comments come as the company prepares to open a new R&D centre at the Millbrook testing facility in Bedfordshire, allowing it to tune vehicles specifically for British roads and drivers.It has also launched a nationwide Super Parts Hub network comprising eight regional distribution centres supplying genuine Jaecoo and Omoda components, following complaints from owners about repair delays.The company is also exploring a number of routes to begin vehicle production in Britain.Chery has been in a manufacturing partnership with Jaguar Land Rover since 2012 and, earlier this year, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nissan to build cars for UK customers at the country's largest vehicle plant in Sunderland.