The Freelander Is Back. It’s Nothing Like You Remember.
The name is familiar. Everything else is new.
Freelander has returned not as a compact Land Rover runabout, but as a standalone premium EV brand, co-owned by Chery Automobile and JLR under their joint venture. The first product is the Concept 97, a full-size electric SUV that debuted quietly in Beijing and is already generating serious attention.
The concept is massive. Over 200 inches long, with a wheelbase pushing past 118 inches. Some of what you see at the show is purely theatrical: suicide doors, display screens where headlights should be, a lounge-style third row that won’t survive to production. But strip those away, and what remains is remarkably close to a real vehicle.
The interior is the telling part. A low dashboard opens up the cabin and creates a sense of genuine space. A wide central display anchors the cockpit, with a secondary screen running the full width of the dash behind it. Physical controls are present on the steering wheel, the center console, and beneath the main screen. Someone made intentional choices here.
Under all of it sits Chery’s 800-volt E0X platform, with CATL batteries and 6C supercharging capable of up to 360 kW. Powertrain options are expected to include a tri-motor all-electric setup producing over 550 horsepower, a plug-in hybrid, and a range-extender version using a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine. Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 4.1 driver assistance system and a LiDAR unit mounted above the windshield complete the picture.
The production launch is planned for China later this year, with a network of 100 stores across 60 cities targeted by the end of 2026. More models are expected within five years.
Designed in Gaydon by a team of over 200, it carries traces of original Freelander DNA. But this is not a nostalgia play. It is a statement of where the brand intends to go.
