After more than a decade of absence, a name once well-known in Slovenia is returning in the form of advanced electrified off-road vehicles developed in collaboration with China's Chery.
The Freelander name is returning to the automotive scene, but this time not as a model within the Land Rover brand range, but as a completely new, independent brand of electrified off-road vehicles. The fruit of the development of the joint venture established by Jaguar Land Rover and Chery, it is presented to the public in the form of the Concept 97 study and, with its name and individual design elements – such as the characteristic sloping D-pillar – pays direct homage to the original from 1997. Despite the absence of official Land Rover logos, the vehicle retains a recognizable British design identity, which it skillfully combines with modern accents in the style of the current Defender and attractive concept solutions, such as reverse-opening doors.
Under the hood, the new Freelander will be built on a flexible 800-volt platform that will allow customers to choose between a fully electric drive, a plug-in hybrid and a range extender. The concept's interior is designed to be high-tech and spacious, offering three rows of seats for a total of six passengers. The digital experience is provided by a large display across the entire width of the dashboard, a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8397 processor and an advanced Huawei Qiankun ADS 4.1 semi-autonomous driving system that uses a LiDAR sensor for precise orientation in space.
The newly founded brand's ambitious plans envisage the launch of as many as six production models in the next five years, the first of which is expected to be a large six-seat SUV that will strongly rely on the design features of the Concept 97 study. All models will be produced at the Chinese factory in Changshu, where they will directly replace the outgoing Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque models on the production lines. Although the initial focus will be on the Chinese market, the company also plans to expand globally with specifically adapted export versions later, although entry into the US market is highly unlikely due to the current high tariffs, and it is also not entirely clear whether we will have the opportunity to see the new Freelander in Europe.
