Jaguar Land Rover is bringing back the Freelander name, synonymous with an SUV, and giving it a new lease of life under a new joint venture.
JLR and Chinese brand Chery will enter a 50/50 joint venture, which will allow them to design and produce electric models built on Chery’s EV architecture at their plant in Changshu – these will be under the ‘Freelander’ brand.
Last seen on models built in 2015, the Freelander will be focused primarily on the Chinese market, with plans for a global output “over time”.
All models built under the JLR/Chery joint venture, will be sold independently from their current model line-ups. This will mean Jaguar Land Rover will still be able to push ahead with their electrification plans which include an all-electric Range Rover.
Both Chery’s leading position in the Chinese market and JLR’s heritage and design, will allow for further global markets to be considered.
No further deails have been revealed at this stage.
Michael Docherty 