Last year, Jaguar Land Rover (now known as JLR) announced it would rebirth the Freelander title as one of its sub-brands, a family of which includes Defender, Discovery and Range Rover.
Now, JLR says by October it’ll no longer produce Jaguar (XEL and XFL) and Land Rover (E-Pace) models in China – and end production of the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport by the end of 2026 – where they’re currently made in a joint venture with Chery.
Instead, Autocar reports the brands will use Chery’s current and future electrified vehicle platforms to launch the Freelander models, which will first go on sale in China before other markets.
That includes the UK, a right-hand drive market, meaning the door is open for the as-yet unknown vehicles to come to Australia.
According to Autocar, the Freelander brand will debut with a crossover – similar to what the first two generations of the Land Rover model were – which is due to enter production in late 2026.
Styled by the original Freelander’s designer Gerry McGovern, the crossover is reportedly set to offer similar qualities to the Porsche Macan, albeit with off-road cues.
It’s also understood the first Freelander will be based on Chery’s T1X platform, currently underpinning the Omoda 5 (renamed this week to the C5) and the Omoda E5 EV.
Autocar reports the Freelander crossover will not only be available with pure electric power, but also support range-extender powertrains, which see a petrol engine act as an on-board generator for a smaller battery that powers the motors.
Chery also has plug-in hybrids in its current stable, potentially offering a third powertrain to the Freelanders.
While it’s yet to be seen how much interest there is in reviving the Freelander name – which would have been extinct for almost 11 years by the time the brand launches – its revival will make it the ninth Chery brand on sale globally.
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