The Freelander SUV is back, and this time it’s electric and extremely stylish thanks to a joint venture between Jaguar Land Rover and China’s Chery Automotive. The goal is to make a custom-tailored version of the Freelander for every market it enters. However, we’ll never know what an American version of the Freelander will look like, as the United States misses out on a cool Chinese vehicle once again.
The Land Rover Freelander 1 was launched in 1997 and discontinued by 2015. JLR wanted to focus on its more premium models like the Discovery Sport, which may have made sense 10 years ago, but is no longer the move. Now, drivers want fun and affordable EVs. Especially in America. Once more, however, we will have to look on as the rest of the world experiences an innovative new vehicle.
What we know about the new Chinese Freelander SUV
Jaguar Land Rover and Chery’s 4×4 electric SUV debuted in China on March 31st, revealing a striking, distinctive boxy design that stands apart from other SUVs in the same category. Featuring a wide, square face with small, rectangular LED headlights, a solid silver stripe across the grille and hood, black cladding around the wheels, and a pretty flat, wide rear, it blends futuristic design cues with rugged elements to create a pretty playful overall appearance.
Its suicide doors reveal a very minimal, peaceful head-in-the-clouds kind of aesthetic. There’s a singular, large infotainment screen that’s a bit uninspiring, but it still gives a bit of a spaceship vibe I like. It’s sorta like what the Cybercab wishes it looked like if it weren’t so rushed and losing all its leads during production.
We don’t know much about its performance just yet. It’s meant to be an off-road SUV, although we know how I feel about electric off-roaders. But all we know is that it’s built on Chery’s 800V platform and will be available as an EV, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), so I’ll hold off on judgment until we know more. I’m also holding off judgment because I’m biased and like how the Freelander looks. Let’s be real.
JLR and Chery could very well dominate the off-road EV SUV category with the Freelander
While we don’t know much about the Freelander itself, we do know a lot about JLR and Chery’s production plans. It will launch in China first, then expand to other global markets, including Europe. Not America. Sigh.
Freelanders’ CEO Wei Lan told Autocar that it would not be sending out its Chinese version everywhere. Instead, it will make a custom-tailored version of the Freelander for each region. Lan stated: “From its very first day of existence, every Freelander product is conceived and calibrated for the diverse demands of markets across the world. We are not exporting a Chinese car to the world, but we are building a world car, for the world, from the very beginning.”
JLR and Chery also have plans beyond the current Freelander model. Apparently, there will be a new vehicle every six months for the next five years. That’s 10 vehicles. Once more, I’m afraid for automakers outside of China. We’ll have to see whether the Freelander can compete with other off-roading EV SUVs on the market, but if JLR and Chery keep making cost-effective, stylish Freelander models, I think it will start to take over that category. China already dominates in the cheap EV and cheap PHEV sectors, but we’ve seen Chinese carmakers branching out recently. First with a luxury EV aimed at the European market, and now the off-road SUV category. The Freelander was already a massive hit in Europe during its original time on the market, so it’s looking to be another takeover.
