The Chinese iCAUR V27 is coming to Britain in 2027 to scare the Defender

This is yet another new Chinese-SUV bound for UK shores at some point in early 2027. It is called the iCAUR V27 – their caps lock, not ours – and it looks for all the world to have been explicitly designed to give the Land Rover Defender a few sleepless nights.

What’s an iCAUR – sorry, we heard you the first time – you cry? It is another offshoot of Chinese MegaCorp Chery Automobile, which already sells a number of cars under its own name, and has a number of sub-brands you might have heard of. Omoda. Jaecoo. Lepas. Etc.

So, here’s another one that’ll no doubt soon be powering up the sales charts. Looks good, and not unlike a cut-price Landy. Squared-jawed, boxy, and big enough to seat five people.

We’ve not been told what’ll power the V27, only that it’ll be an “advanced electrified powertrain”. It’s already sold elsewhere in the world with a 1.5-litre four-pot turbo petrol range extender and a fair bit of electricity: there’s a single-motor rear-drive version, and a dual-motor AWD version. Which one the UK will get remains a mystery for now.

We do know it’ll be honed for UK roads, because iCAUR said the V27 will be ‘tailored’ at Chery’s new R&D base at Millbrook so it won’t fall to pieces at the sign of the first pothole.

How much? Again, no idea yet. In the meantime, look! Here’s the V27 next to a lovely dog!