Land Rover Freelander set to return via Chery joint venture

The Land Rover Freelander is making a major comeback, blending Land Rover’s off-road heritage with modern electrified performance, and is set to be unveiled on 31 March. This new model will be built through a joint venture between Jaguar Land Rover and Chery. The Freelander model has been highly successful since 1997, with a 4×4 all-terrain capability combined with urban versatility, which has led it to become Europe’s top-selling SUV for five consecutive years.

A teaser image has been released via Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) social media channels, showing a close-up of the model’s front end, which features a bold, boxy design. The headlight design incorporates a unique pattern above a dark trim element. A wide, boxy fender with black body cladding is also visible, suggesting a rugged SUV appearance. According to Motor1, the overall size will be quite large, measuring around 5,000 mm in length, with some styling influences from the Jaecoo lineup.

In terms of the powertrain, the Land Rover Freelander will be positioned as a “global NEV (New Energy Vehicle) brand,” offering range-extender and high-performance hybrid variants, in addition to a fully electric version. Built on Chery’s E0X electric platform, it is anticipated to feature a dual electric motor positioned on the front and rear axles, CATL batteries, Huawei Qiankun intelligent driving system, and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip.

Rumours suggest it will use a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine developed by Ateco (a Chery subsidiary), paired with triple electric motors for the plug-in hybrid variant. The powertrain is expected to operate in both series and parallel hybrid modes, with the gasoline engine either generating electricity or directly powering the vehicle, while enabling seamless transitions between electric, hybrid, and engine-only driving modes.

A 2+2+2 six-seat layout has already been confirmed, although further details regarding the interior remain limited. More details will be revealed soon during the unveiling on the 31st of March, 2026.