Freelander is returning to the market, but as a brand and only in China, for now

The rumor surfaced some time ago, but until now it had not been confirmed and we did not have much information on the matter. Now it has been confirmed, and we can be certain that Freelander is returning to the market. There is, however, a big caveat: it will not be a model, but a separate brand from Jaguar Land Rover. In addition, it will begin to be sold in China. We do not know whether it will ultimately cross the borders of this Asian country or whether it will reach the European market.

This does not surprise us, since the Chinese market is in the sights of all the world’s manufacturers, who want to carve out a place in this powerful market. The Freelander lineup is still to be defined, although the first model proposed for this new brand is being announced.

The British brand wants to take advantage of its partnership with the Chery group, with which it has collaborated on other occasions and which will be responsible for shaping the cars that will be part of the new brand. This marks an alliance that aims to combine the experience of Jaguar Land Rover with the technological innovation and manufacturing capacity of the Chinese company for the Chinese market.

A plug-in hybrid SUV, the first vehicle

The first model announced under the Freelander badge will be a plug-in hybrid SUV. This vehicle will be based on the T1X platform, a base that has already been used in other models of the Asian group. This platform allows great freedom in designing the vehicle, and it is known that a SUV coupé line has been chosen, which will bear many similarities to the Porsche Macan, which could be one of the rivals of the Chinese model, but without losing the essence of the original Freelander.

This model is expected to be the one that opens the Freelander range, which will replace in China the Discovery and Range Rover Evoque ranges. These will stop being manufactured in China and will be replaced by the new Freelander brand. The new brand is part of the strategy to keep advancing in the electrification of its models.