Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will end production of Land Rovervehicles in China to make room for a new auto brand called Freelander, springing from its joint venture with Chery.
And while Freelander will start off as a China-exclusive brand, it’s set to eventually go global. That’ll see it vie for buyers’ attention alongside Chery brands such as Jaecoo, Omoda, iCar/iCaur, Exeed, Exlantix, Jetour and Lepas.
After JLR announced the Freelander brand last June, more details have come to light courtesy of a recent earnings call as well as reports from Autocar and Automotive News Europe.
JLR will end production of its Jaguar XEL and XFL sedans and the E-Pace SUV at the Chery Jaguar Land Rover plant in Changshu, China in September, before production of the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport ends there towards the end of 2026.
The British automaker, whose parent company is India’s tata Motors, had previously announced it would build Freelander EVs alongside existing Chery Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in Changshu.
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Freelander’s debut model will reportedly enter production in China in late 2026 with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power, followed by battery-electric (EV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants.
The PHEV could feature the Super Hybrid System used in vehicles like the Omoda 9. In the UK-spec model, this combines a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors, a 34.5kWh battery, and a three-speed transmission for total system outputs of 330kW and 700Nm.
The Omoda 9 is claimed to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds, while claimed electric-only range is 150km on the WLTP cycle.
Freelander SUVs may also offer decent off-road ability, judging by Chery’s efforts under the Jetour and iCar brands, but be will likely be positioned as more premium vehicles than, for example, Chery-branded products.
The first Freelander SUV will be based on Chery’s T1X platform, which underpins a raft of vehicles from the Chinese automaker ranging from the small Omoda 3 up to the large Chery Tiggo 9L (above).
But while underneath it’ll be pure Chery, the Freelander SUV’s exterior styling – which Autocar reports will blend a combination of chunky off-road and sporty coupe SUV design cues – will be penned by JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern, who helped design the original Land Rover Freelander.
With a more rakish silhouette than the old Land Rover Freelander, the debut model under the new brand may stand out better against existing Chery models like the blocky Jaecoo J7 (pictured above) and JLR models like the upcoming ‘baby’ Defender Sport.
Other Freelander models will follow, and JLR has previously said they’ll be set apart from not only other Chery brands but also JLR’s global ‘House of Brands’ portfolio, which currently comprises the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands.
Autocar reports Freelander will launch in the UK before the end of the decade, which almost certainly means right-hand drive production – and therefore means an Australian launch is possible.
The Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture was established in 2012, but sales of its vehicles have slumped in recent years as competition – particularly from domestic brands – has gotten tougher in that market.
As with automakers like Audi, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen, JLR is using a Chinese partner to develop a vehicle that it will sell under one of its own established names.
Freelander vehicles will also be sold via Chery-run dealerships in China.
The original Land Rover Freelander was offered for two generations between 1997 and 2015, with more than 300,000 units sold globally over the course of its life.
The Freelander was only offered in a three-door body style in its first generation, which was replaced in 2006, and then eventually succeeded by the Range Rover Evoque in 2011.
Five-door versions were effectively replaced by the Discovery Sport in 2015.