Companies + Institutions | Chery is expanding its development center

Chery is expanding its development center in Raunheim near Frankfurt. The Chinese automaker announced this ahead of the market launch of its two models Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7.

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Chinese carmaker Chery has announced the expansion of its development center in Raunheim near Frankfurt am Main. The expansion underscores Chery’s “commitment to the presence of the European market and future innovations in the electric field,” says the company from China’s Anhui province. The development center in Raunheim, which opened in 2018, has become one of the most important R&D and design areas within the group’s global development and design network over the past five years.

The expansion is intended to put more emphasis on Chery’s European operations. “We plan to double the number of employees in the next 12 months,” explains Jochen Tüting, Managing Director of Chery Europe GmbH. “Along with the launch of our Omoda and Jaecoo brands in nine major European markets and other smaller ones, we want to increase our Research and Development workforce to 120 employees by the end of 2024,” Tüting says.

New products and country-specific solutions

In a location not far from Frankfurt Airport, Chery handles the development of new products and country-specific solutions. This includes design development, simulation and testing as well as hardware and mechanical design of the product. The development center on Main also takes on project management tasks for various business areas within the Chery Group. “New things are also created here that will not find their way to Europe,” explains Tüting, citing, for example, the high-end Design Studio, which provides creative ideas for almost all brands of international companies.

The planned expansion of the car company in Raunheim, which plans to launch a total of eight new models in Europe in the next 24 months, includes extended testing procedures. Technical integration and tuning for vehicles coming to market in Europe takes place in real time digitally using the Raunheim R&D Center as an internal development interface. On the other hand, increasing research and development capacity to accelerate design and development activities. In addition, Chery plans to further expand its cooperation with regional suppliers as well as development cooperation with local stakeholders.

Launched in Europe: Omoda 5 and Jaecoo 7

The short crossover SUV Omoda 5 will be introduced gradually in the most important markets in Europe from the beginning of 2024, before the off-road SUV Jaecoo 7 will follow shortly after on the same platform. Chery plans to launch the Omoda 5 in Germany with a 1.6-liter combustion engine and as a BEV in the summer of 2024. The expansion of the development center near Main is therefore an important step for Chery as a volume manufacturer.