Land Rover Freelander to return in 2026, but not to the UK
The Freelander name will be used for new range of electric cars, initially just sold in China but possibly coming here as well down the road
The Land Rover Freelander will officially return in 2026, but rather than one solitary SUV, the name is being revived for a range of all-new, tech-filled electric vehicles designed specifically for the Chinese market. The new Freelanders should make their way to the UK eventually.
Land Rover introduced the original Freelander in 1997 as a ruggedly handsome compact SUV, and launched the Mk2 in 2006, but this was succeeded by the Discovery Sport a decade later. Meanwhile over in China, JLR has had a joint venture with the automotive giant Chery – owners of Omoda and Jaecoo – for more than a decade, which it hopes will be revitalised by these forthcoming Freelander EVs.
The collaboration – Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) – leverages the individual strengths of the two companies, utilising Chery’s production, development resources and scale, together with the design capabilities and heritage of Land Rover. It currently builds the Chinese-market long-wheelbase versions of the Range Rover Evoque, Jaguar XE and Jaguar XF, plus the Discovery Sport, but those cars will be replaced by new Freelander-branded models.
The first new Freelander will launch in the second half of 2026, according to JLR’s head of China, Qing Pan. It will be a “full-size SUV echoing the original spirit of the Freelander, but brought up to date and designed to appeal to the discerning and technologically-savvy Chinese consumers.”
This as-yet-unnamed model will be the first member of a new Freelander family of SUVs, which will all be built under licence, and based on Chery’s own flexible EV architecture.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell revealed earlier this year: “Of course, these will be cars designed with our involvement, but off a Chinese platform with Chinese tech and the Chinese cost base, so should be absolutely perfect for the market there. This will allow the joint venture and our plant in Changshu to flourish over time.”
Mardell admitted CJLR’s profitability has been declining, but he is confident that the new Freelander range is the “solution to the problem that was facing us and one that is very good for us, both in terms of licence revenue but also in terms of our 50 per cent share of the profits of that joint venture.”
No specific details about the new Freelander models have been announced yet, but we do know they’ll be “mainstream electric vehicles”, so should be priced accordingly – especially compared with the upcoming Range Rover Electric that’s sure to cost well over £120,000.
With the rapid development of EVs in China and the country’s emphasis on tech and connectivity, we expect these Freelander models to be sleek and futuristic, with large digital interfaces and lots of cabin space.
While the new EVs are designed specifically for the Chinese market, they have global sale potential – but with the caveat that it's “dependent on business cases and various other things,” according to Mardell. He also added that they wouldn’t be launched in other territories for a year or so after sales begin in China.
However, the UK and Europe would be the obvious next port of call. The cars should be able to utilise JLR’s existing distribution and dealer networks, giving the company a new line of more affordable models beyond their existing ‘houses’ of Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar.
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