A new China-based marque from the Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture, reviving the Land Rover Freelander nameplate. Engineered and built in China with local supply partners such as CATL and Huawei, it launches with the Freelander 8 range-extender SUV.
The Freelander 8 is the first model from the Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture's revived Freelander brand. It is a six-seat range-extender SUV on an 800V platform, pairing a 60.331 kWh CATL battery with a 1.5T petrol generator for 221 km of pure-electric CLTC range, and carries Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5 driver assistance with a roof-mounted LiDAR.
Freelander is a marque revived by the Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) joint venture, reusing a name Land Rover first applied to its compact SUV in 1997. Unlike the original, this Freelander is a China-developed brand: the vehicles are engineered, built and sourced largely within China, while Jaguar Land Rover licenses the nameplate and lends brand heritage.
The strategy reflects how foreign automakers are adapting to the Chinese market. Rather than importing or localising European designs - the approach behind the CJLR Range Rover Evoque L, which is being wound down - the venture is building a homegrown line that leans on Chinese technology suppliers for batteries, electronics and driver assistance.
The brand launches with the Freelander 8, a large range-extender SUV built around an 800V powertrain, a CATL-developed battery, and Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 5 driver-assistance system. More models are expected to follow as CJLR shifts its manufacturing base toward the Freelander brand.
