Revived Freelander’s First Model Has Porsche Macan In Its Sights

The Freelander nameplate isn’t exactly well-loved, which led to its demise in 2015, replaced by the Land Rover Discovery Sport. However, reports of its revival emerged last year, although it will be entirely different as the Freelander name will become its own brand, but only for a specific market – China. We now have more details about this revival, including the possibility of the brand going global.

The returning Freelander name will be a joint venture between Jaguar-Land Rover and Chery, one of the biggest state-owned automakers in China. According to Autocar, which got its information from a recent presentation to investors, the roles of each company are simple: Chery will be developing the platform for Freelander’s electrified range, while JLR will lead its design. The publication also got an early look at its revamped logo, which will be more stylish than the one you see here.

Using Chery’s Versatile T1X Platform

Autocar further learns that the first Freelander model will be using the T1X platform, which is flexible and used by several Chery brands, including Omoda and Jaecoo, which are exclusively sold outside the People’s Republic. This full-size SUV will reportedly have “chunky off-roader cues” and has a coupe shape to the tune of the Porsche Macan. It will also be a plug-in hybrid model, which has been gaining popularity as demand for EVs wanes.

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As the T1X platform is versatile, there are several Chery vehicles that use it, but the latest and largest one would be the Jaecoo J8 (depicted below). According to the head of JLR China, Qing Pan, Freelander’s first SUV will “echo the original spirit of Freelander but brought up to date to appeal to discerning, technologically savvy Chinese consumers.”

Freelander Is Going Global

As the Freelander brand was supposed to replace the China-made, JLR-branded models, we didn’t expect the brand to be sold outside China. However, Qing said that the Freelander has the “potential for global expansion.” This might be the case, just like what Nissan plans to do, but we still don’t expect the upcoming SUVs to reach the US, given the hefty tax that comes with vehicles imported from China.

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But perhaps the biggest news here is that Freelander first SUV will reportedly arrive in the second half of 2026. That’s just a year from now, so we expect more information as that date arrives, including the markets that JLR wants to penetrate with it. Of note, the Freelander brand will reportedly not become part of JLR’s House of Brands, which is focused on luxury.

Source: Autocar