Wednesday 7th October

All-new Freelander destined for UK market

Need another Chinese SUV to choose from? The JLR-Chery collab is inbound

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In the glut of Chinese electric cars out there, you may well already have heard about Freelander. Because, well, it’s the name of an old Land Rover, and has come about thanks to JLR and Chery working together. The idea being that everyone wins: JLR gets some insight into the Chinese way of making cars, Chery has access to great brand recognition. Many more people have heard of a Freelander than they have a Chery Tiggo 4, Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9 combined. Plus a Freelander isn’t called a Tiggo… 

Now it’s been confirmed that the Freelander brand will be offered in the UK. As part of a third phase of market rollout, European markets like Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium will be followed up by the UK and Ireland. Freelander says the move ‘will bring the brand’s British design heritage and intelligent technology to more European customers’. It seems unlikely before 2028, given Freelander is only currently talking about LHD expansion that ‘will continue in 2027’ - the UAE is first, followed by the Middle East and North Africa - but it’ll happen alright. 

Exactly which Freelander we’ll get isn’t clear for the moment. The brand launched last week with the Freelander 8, the huge 600hp PHEV SUV that’s in the pictures, but it’s hard to imagine JLR would love the idea of such a closely aligned Defender rival from its joint merger project being sold here. Presumably smaller, more affordable hybrids and EVs are on the way. 

For now, all that’s being said is that launch dates, dealer networks, ‘product specifications and sales arrangements will be announced individually as local plans progress.’ Interestingly, we won’t just be getting a global-grade car with the steering wheel on the right; Freelander says that ‘development and validation for different climates, road conditions and customer needs’ are being considered from the outset. And who better to make a new car work in Britain than JLR? 

Lucia Mao, CEO of Freelander International, said, “Freelander is a British legend. But we want to do more than just bring it back. Chinese technology opens up new possibilities. That is what ‘Beyond the Legend’ means. British soul. Chinese intelligence. A legend going further than ever.”

So if this is another new brand to you, expect to hear plenty more in the coming months. And maybe, just maybe, a little bit more interest in the best versions of the Land Rover Freelander. Stranger things have happened…

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[PCaluta]

In before all the naysaying comments.

[Dark85]

Far too big for our road, but it looks great and has the right badge so it'll sell very well I'm sure.

[Quickmoose]

lovely bit of post-C-pillar-design work on wheels there... and then there's the reall.....zzzzzzz

[DaveyBoyWonder]

"beyond the legend"

When I think legendary cars I think of things like the series 1 Land Rover, the Ferrari F40, the Countach, the Mustang, the 911, hell even the Ford Mondeo. Never have I thought of a Land Rover Freelander as being legendary.

[scenario8]

If I was the photographer in charge of that group shot I’d have been sorely tempted to have them lined up in “piano keys” sequence.

No real opinion on the car thing.

[GPH]

98% of the population will assume anything branded Freelander looking like an SUV is a JLR product so Franchising out their product names to another company could either be the biggest mistake ever as customers of their products do a Jaecoo 7, saving £20k and leave or/and ...if the Freelander brand has better reliability and quality it could improve the Land Rover image by accident.

[SneakerMonkey]

it looks better than most of the indentikit grey Chinese EVUV's all over at the minute TBH

[fantheman80]

Look how times have changed. In the old days, JLR probably tried to sue China for copying its cars, now they are in a JV.

[Watcher of the skies]

scenario8 said:

If I was the photographer in charge of that group shot I d have been sorely tempted to have them lined up in piano keys sequence.

No real opinion on the car thing.

So will it be branded as a Land Rover Freelander?

[Miles Remmington]

Land Rover CityLandRover?

[corcoran]

10,000 people are rushing down to the dealer to PX their Jaecoooooooos.

[Angelo1985]

Are they out of their mind?

Also, freelander a British legend? Are they mad?

And why they showed it to bedouins and chineses?

[_Rodders_]

Freelander must be by far the weakest of Land Rovers names. So bad they didn't use it when it came to it's replacement.

[slk 32]

Isn't this the 2020s equivalent of the old cityrover?
Badging a cheap(er) chinese car as a Land Rover and hoping to sell at a premium?

[LJF_97]

Makes sense, all the 'Wish' RR rivals are eating into their sales.

[Dombilano]

Chery F40, id give that a go

[MrGeoff]

I totally get it from a marketing point of view, at present they've lost a lot of ground to Chinese manufacturers and they definitely cannot beat them at this end of market any more so they've had to get in bed with them. On the other hand it's another SUV, apparently we can't get enough of them and I just can't get excited about them.

[king arthur]

slk 32 said:

Isn't this the 2020s equivalent of the old cityrover?
Badging a cheap(er) chinese car as a Land Rover and hoping to sell at a premium?

It won't be badged Landrover, it will be badged Freelander.

[Panamax]

Good grief, next thing you know they'll be writing "Lotus" on a big ,electric, Chinese SUV.

[Quhet]

Difficult to get a handle on the size of the thing, but it looks fairly similar to the Defender but (I assume) a size or two smaller? I do like the references to the original Freelander but it's a little bland IMO