The Land Rover Freelander will return to Europe, but made in China and manufactured by Chery

The Land Rover Freelander is about to return to the market, so we are starting to get some information about what this revived SUV will offer. And the first surprise is that it will not come from England, as the model will be produced in China, thanks to the agreement signed between Jaguar Land Rover and the Chinese multinational Chery.

The Land Rover Freelander was on the market from 1997 to 2014. It went through two generations, the last of which was launched in 2006. Its end came with the launch of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the model that replaced it and caused it to stop being sold.

Since October of this year, Land Rover has split the company into three sub-brands, Defender, Range Rover and Discovery, so the name Freelander is not part of the company’s plans for the time being. That is why the production of this model in the Chinese market has been considered, taking advantage of the joint venture.

The future Land Rover Freelander could be based on the E0V SUV, from Chery. It uses the E0X platform of the Chinese company. This model was initially going to be sold only in China under the Exeed brand, and was intended to become an interesting alternative to German Premium SUVs. With this change, it will take on this name and its sales will extend to Europe and other international markets.

It is known that this model will have a hybrid version and a fully electric one. Its length will be 5,100 mm, perhaps slightly more, and it will have six seats, spread across three rows. If it reaches Europe, this version will have seven seats, one more than the Chinese version.

As far as we know, this platform supports engines with a maximum power of up to 413 kW, equivalent to 553 CV. In addition, it may feature air suspension and level 2 autonomous driving elements, so it could be a very attractive SUV for the European premium vehicle market.

The launch date of this model is not yet known, so we will have to wait some time to find out when it will arrive on the market and what its main features will be. What we can be sure of is that it will have everything expected from an SUV carrying such a longed-for name as the one the new model will bear.