Temu Defender? Chery's iCaur is spotted in UK for the first time
iCaur is a sub-brand of Chinese conglomerate Chery, and could bring its V25 SUV to the UK
Don't get too excited: Apple isn’t making a car. The iCaur is, however, a new off-road brand from Jaecoo’s owner, Chery, and it’s been seen testing its electrified Land Rover Defender lookalike on British streets, suggesting that it could be coming to the UK.
Photographs submitted by Auto Express reader Brett Misselbrook show a camouflaged iCaur V25 plugged in at a UK supermarket EV charger. At around 4.6 metres long, the V25 sits between a Jeep Compass and the aforementioned Defender in terms of size – although it’ll certainly sit at a significantly lower price point than the latter.
Flanked by the smaller V23 and larger V27 in iCaur’s Asian and South African market line-ups, the V25 is likely to be the brand’s first venture into the UK market. Underneath its brawny exterior, the iCaur V25 is a range-extender plug-in hybrid; a 154bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine acts as a generator to charge a 33.68kWh LFP battery pack which, in turn, powers a pair of electric motors. While exact power figures for these are yet to be confirmed, filings to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveal 130 miles of pure-electric range, or a total combined range (including petrol power) of over 600 miles.
Set to make its official public debut this month at the Chery International Summit in Wuhu, China, the V25 is also expected to be offered in full-electric guise, although specifications for this also remain unclear, as does whether it will be offered in all markets. What we do know is that despite its traditional 4x4 shape, the iCaur V25 won’t adopt a body-on-frame construction; instead, it'll have a similar monocoque chassis to most passenger cars, which should make it more suited to driving on tarmac.
Inside, buyers can expect an upright dashboard, much like full-blooded off-roaders, as well as swathes of leatherette upholstery. A large central touchscreen is bolstered by a digital driver’s display and sits above a row of metal-affect physical knobs and switches. Unlike the smaller V23, which is a strict four-seater, the V25 has space for five with a traditional three-seat bench in the back.
iCaur is yet to confirm its entry into the UK market, although parent brand Chery may be eager to do so given the success it has already had with British buyers. The Jaecoo 7, for example, was the best-selling car in September 2026, while the Chery and Omoda brands now outsell the likes of Dacia, Citroen and Honda.
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