The first “Freelander” SUV will be a PHEV coupe SUV with a Chery platform and the Land Rover name – report

The first vehicle to carry the revived Freelander The name will be a large electrified SUV that will be unveiled in early 2026 before launching in China in the second half of the year.

The Freelander name – used for a Land Rover SUV between 1997 and 2015 – will be launched as a standalone brand for JLR as part of the Fifty-Fifty partnership with Chinese automaker Chery.

Accordingly AutocarThe first Freelander is said to be a large plug-in hybrid coupe SUV using the same T1X platform used in the Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs sold in Australia, among others.

Currently only planned for China, JLR China boss Qing Pan said during a media briefing that the Freelander brand has “potential for global expansion.” Autocar has previously reported that the brand will launch in the UK before the end of the decade, suggesting that right-hand drive vehicles will be manufactured.

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The JLR China boss also said that the first Freelander model will “reflect the original spirit of the Freelander but be updated to appeal to demanding, tech-savvy Chinese consumers.”

The Freelander brand is sold through Chery dealers and operated separately from JLR’s “House of Brands”, where brands such as Defender and Discovery are positioned as standalone brands.

After two generations, the Freelander SUV was replaced by the Land Rover Discovery Sport in 2015.

JLR faced a challenging 2025 after a cyberattack forced the closure of several factories worldwide, including in the United Kingdom and Slovakia, costing the company an estimated £50 million ($A100.91 million) a week.