Remember the Freelander? Land Rover Is Bringing the Name Back as a New Global Brand

Far From the Freelander You Know

Remember the Land Rover Freelander? It was the British marque's entry in the compact crossover class that was sold over two generations. The Freelander was introduced in late 1997, but only made its way to America towards the end of 2001. It had a bit of a rough time across the Atlantic, as it was persistently dogged by issues. It was discontinued in 2005 and renamed LR2 in 2008.

The Freelander name carried on in the rest of the world, though, and it was eventually succeeded by the Discovery Sport in 2014. More recently, Land Rover has revived the name to serve as its entry-level brand of sorts for China, and now, there are plans for global expansion.

Now a Standalone Brand

The decision to turn Freelander into its own brand was officially announced in June 2024. That said, it's not out in the market just yet, but the models it will make won't share many bits with Land Rover vehicles.

Instead, Freelander models will be co-developed with JLR's partner in China, Chery. Initially, it meant to roll out electric vehicles only, but now, there are also plans to build plug-in hybrid vehicles. And while it's a stepping stone into Land Rover ownership, Chery assures that the Freelander models won't merely be upbadged vehicles of those it currently makes.

Global Expansion

Car News China reports that Freelander will also be offered outside of China as well. Perhaps that's reflected by the decision to add plug-in hybrid models instead of just relying on pure EVs. The first market expected to get these Freelander SUVs will be the Middle East sometime this year.

The publication also reports that the first Freelander model will ride on a Chery-developed E0X modular architecture. That platform is used on Chery's more premium Exeed and Luxeed brands. It'll be a midsize crossover with, perhaps unsurprisingly, boxy styling. Well, Land Rover influenced the whole squared-off look for SUVs this decade, after all.

Of course, the bigger question here is if there's any chance of it coming to America. First, the car has to succeed outside of China before it embarks on that challenge. There's the matter of tariffs, yes, but should it be successful in global markets, it could land in North America via Canada or Mexico. Once conditions are favorable, Freelander could have a crack at the U.S market.

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