Land Rover Freelander on track for a comeback, but the UK will have to wait
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell has shed more light on plans for the Freelander brand announced last year. These will see the familiar name revived for a range of all-new electric vehicles designed specifically for the Chinese market, but which should make their way to the UK eventually.
Land Rover introduced the Freelander in 1997 as a ruggedly handsome compact SUV, which was succeeded by the Discovery Sport in 2016. Meanwhile over in China, JLR has had a joint venture with the automotive giant Chery – owners of Omoda and Jaecoo – for more than a decade, which it hopes will be revitalised by these forthcoming Freelander EVs.
The collaboration – Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) – leverages the individual strengths of the two companies, utilising Chery's production, development resources and scale, together with the design capabilities and heritage of Land Rover. It currently builds the Chinese-market long-wheelbase versions of the Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar XE and Jaguar XF, plus the Discovery Sport, but those cars will be replaced by new Freelander-branded models. Advertisement - Article continues below
All the new vehicles will be SUVs built under licence, and despite wearing the Freelander name, will be based on Chery's own EV architecture. Mardell told Auto Express that the first of the new models will make its debut towards the end of 2026. Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below
The JLR boss also said: 'Of course, these will be cars designed with our involvement, but off a Chinese platform with Chinese tech and the Chinese cost base, so should be absolutely perfect for the market there. This will allow the joint venture and our plant in Changshu to flourish over time.'
Mardell admitted CJLR's profitability has been declining, but he is confident that the new Freelander range is the 'solution to the problem that was facing us and one that is very good for us, both in terms of licence revenue but also in terms of our 50 per cent share of the profits of that joint venture.'
No specific details about the new Freelander models have been announced yet, but we do know they'll be 'mainstream electric vehicles', so should be priced accordingly – especially compared with the upcoming Range Rover Electric that's sure to cost well over £120,000.
With the rapid development of EVs in China and the country's emphasis on tech and connectivity, we expect these Freelander models to be sleek and futuristic, with large digital interfaces and lots of cabin space.
While the new EVs are designed specifically for the Chinese market, Mardell reiterated that they have global potential – but with the caveat that it's 'dependent on business cases and various other things'. He also added that they wouldn't be launched in other territories for a year or so after sales begin in China.
However, the UK and Europe would be the obvious next port of call. The cars should be able to utilise JLR's existing distribution and dealer networks, giving the company a new line of more affordable models beyond their existing 'houses' of Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar.
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