Land Rover Freelander to return in 2026, but not to the U
(The Land Rover Freelander will officially return in 2026but rather than one solitary SUVthe name is being revived for a range of all-newtech-filled electric vehicles designed specifically for the Chinese marketThe new Freelanders should make their way to the UK eventually.
Land Rover introduced the original Freelander in 1997 as a ruggedly handsome compact SUVand launched the Mk2 in 2006but this was succeeded by the Discovery Sport a decade laterMeanwhile over in ChinaJLR has had a joint venture with the automotive giant Chery owners of Omoda and Jaecoo for more than a decadewhich it hopes will be revitalised by these forthcoming Freelander EVs.
The collaboration Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLRleverages the individual strengths of the two companiesutilising Chery’s productiondevelopment resources and scaletogether with the design capabilities and heritage of Land RoverIt currently builds the Chinese-market long-wheelbase versions of the Range Rover EvoqueJaguar XE and Jaguar XFplus the Discovery Sportbut those cars will be replaced by new Freelander-branded models.
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The first new Freelander will launch in the second half of 2026according to JLR’s head of ChinaQing PanIt will be a “full-size SUV echoing the original spirit of the Freelanderbut brought up to date and designed to appeal to the discerning and technologically-savvy Chinese consumers.”
This as-yet-unnamed model will be the first member of a new Freelander family of SUVswhich will all be built under licenceand based on Chery’s own flexible EV architecture.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell revealed earlier this year“Of coursethese will be cars designed with our involvementbut off a Chinese platform with Chinese tech and the Chinese cost baseso should be absolutely perfect for the market thereThis will allow the joint venture and our plant in Changshu to flourish over time.”
Mardell admitted CJLR’s profitability has been decliningbut he is confident that the new Freelander range is the “solution to the problem that was facing us and one that is very good for usboth in terms of licence revenue but also in terms of our 50 per cent share of the profits of that joint venture.”
No specific details about the new Freelander models have been announced yetbut we do know they’ll be “mainstream electric vehicles”so should be priced accordingly especially compared with the upcoming Range Rover Electric that’s sure to cost well over £120,000.
With the rapid development of EVs in China and the country’s emphasis on tech and connectivitywe expect these Freelander models to be sleek and futuristicwith large digital interfaces and lots of cabin space.
While the new EVs are designed specifically for the Chinese marketthey have global sale potential but with the caveat that its “dependent on business cases and various other things,according to MardellHe also added that they wouldn’t be launched in other territories for a year or so after sales begin in China.
Howeverthe UK and Europe would be the obvious next port of callThe cars should be able to utilise JLR’s existing distribution and dealer networksgiving the company a new line of more affordable models beyond their existing ‘housesof Range RoverDefenderDiscovery and Jaguar.
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