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The relaunch of the Freelander brand from the Chery/JLR partnership comes into view with the debut of the Freelander 97 Concept. It’s been getting on for two years since we reported that JLR’s Freelander Brand was returning, not as another piece in its ‘House of Brands’ alongside Range Rover, Defender and Discovery, but as a China-built brand exercise with JLR’s long-time Chinese partner Chery.
Now, we see the first fruits of that plan with the arrival of the Freelander 97 Concept (’97’ being a nod to the arrival of the original Freelander), previewing what will become a range of six Freelander models to launch in the coming years. The new Freelander Concept is designed by JLR but underpinned by a Chery Platform and Tech and intended to be offered as a plug-in Hybrid, Range Extender and EV and, although initially for the Chinese market, it seems a global debut will happen.
Unsurprisingly, the Freelander 97 has plenty of LR vibes with its Defender-like bluff front end, flared wheelarches and cladding, and even a triangular DLR signature said to echo the rear quarter windows of the original Freelander.
We won’t have to wait too long to see the first production Freelander, as it’s due to arrive in H2 2026, but it’ll probably be a couple of years before it makes its way to the UK and Europe.
When it does, it’ll be interesting to see just how it’s positioned in the market – and how it will affect JLR’s sales.