JLR and Chery are reviving the legendary Freelander name with a high tech 4x4 with a luxury interior
Published on Apr 02, 2026 at 7:17 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 02, 2026 at 1:17 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
JLR is branching out and turning Freelander into a standalone brand, not just a vehicle under Land Rover.
Launched in China (in collaboration with a Chinese manufacturer), the new brand will also be available elsewhere at some point.
And it’ll apparently produce more than just one vehicle.
Also – some will say ‘fortunately’ – it’ll be producing more than just electric vehicles.
A ‘house of brands’
With this new idea, JLR (Jaguar-Land Rover) wants to turn the company into a ‘house of brands.’
In a way, it already is.
Range Rover is a prime example.
It’s the name of a model, but also a semi-independent marque.
The Evoque, for example, is marketed as a Range Rover product.
But it’s a different story with Freelander, because JLR is creating a new marque and a new company, in partnership with Chery, that’s completely independent to sell vehicles using this iconic nameplate.
The two companies haven’t revealed that much about this new project yet, but there are a few things we already know.
Freelander will be selling more than just one vehicle
The partnership is China-centered, but not China-exclusive.
It was launched in Shanghai, and the vehicles will be assembled in Changshu, China, but the brand will also be available in the Middle East and in Europe.
The idea is to create a range of ‘green’ vehicles under the same name.
We don’t know what kind of vehicles these will be, but presumably, they’re all going to be off-road-friendly and off-road adjacent.
What we do know is that they won’t all be electric.
JLR and Chery also want to create EREVs, AKA Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, and plug-in hybrids.
For now, the first vehicle they’ve launched is the Freelander 97 Concept (a reference to the year the original model was unveiled).
The company aims to launch at least five or six vehicles in the next five years.
And we’re really looking forward to that.
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After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
