New Freelander 8: reborn icon looks like a Land Rover but has a Chinese heart

Land Rover and Chery Automobile have announced a licensing agreement for the Freelander 8, a new SUV family set to debut in the UK by the second half of 2025. The Freelander 8 is not a Land Rover product but a collaboration where Land Rover oversees design to align with its brand identity, while Chery handles engineering, manufacturing, and sales. The Freelander 8 will not be sold through Land Rover dealerships but will be priced lower than the Defender, which starts at around £60,000. The Freelander 8 is the flagship of the new Freelander lineup, measuring 5.1 meters long and offering space for up to six passengers. It will feature a plug-in hybrid system combining a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with two electric motors, sourced from Chery’s existing technology. The vehicle will include centre and rear locking differentials, height-adjustable air suspension, and other off-road features, though it will not meet the same off-road performance standards as Land Rover models. Chery’s flexible architecture underpins the Freelander 8, allowing for future smaller two-row variants. The SUV will lack some advanced off-road tech, such as decouplable anti-roll bars, but retains design cues from the original 1997 Freelander concept. The plug-in hybrid system uses the petrol engine primarily as a generator, with battery specifications expected to rival the Defender’s 30-mile electric range. Land Rover CEO P.B. Balaji confirmed the partnership’s focus on design alignment, stating the Freelander models will embody iconic Land Rover traits without competing directly with existing vehicles. Chery already produces off-road models in its home market, including the iCar series, which features high-performance electric variants. Battery-electric Freelander models are not currently planned but remain a possibility for future development.