Land Rover Gave China The Freelander — Now It's Coming Back To Britain Bigger Than A Defender

Land Rover Gave China The Freelander — Now It's Coming Back To Britain Bigger Than A Defender For eighteen years, the Freelander was Britain's favourite small four-by-four, the car that gave thousands of families their first taste of the Land Rover badge. Then Land Rover replaced it with the Discovery Sport and put the name on the shelf. Now it's back. But it was reborn in China, and it's on its way home. In June 2024, Jaguar Land Rover licensed the Freelander name to its joint venture with Chery in Changshu. Not as a model, but as an entirely new, standalone brand. In March 2026, the last petrol Range Rover Evoque rolled off the Changshu line, and hours later the concept for the new Freelander was revealed. Just months after that, the Freelander 8 was in production. And it is no longer small. The Freelander 8 is 5.1 metres long, longer than a Defender 110, with 818 horsepower, 0-100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and up to 8,000 Nm of torque at the wheels thanks to a two-speed gearbox with a low-range mode. It's an extended-range EV with a CATL battery, more than 200 km of electric range, an 800-volt platform, and Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5 driver assistance fitted as standard. In China, it passed 5,000 firm orders in just 12 hours. Now Freelander is going global. After announcing its first international market at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the brand holds its global launch in Abu Dhabi, with the UAE leading the way. Every future model is being developed for more than 180 markets, and the Freelander 8 is confirmed for sale in the United Kingdom in the second half of 2027, through its own dealer network, completely separate from Land Rover. A British legend, handed to China, now heading back to British roads. Should the Defender be worried? 💬 If a Chinese-built Freelander arrived in your country, would you buy one? Or should Land Rover never have let this name go? Tell us in the comments. The best answer will be pinned. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 – The Name Came Back 1:52 – A Legend Land Rover Let Go 4:18 – The Night The Evoque Died 6:47 – Bigger Than A Defender 9:02 – 818 Horsepower 11:28 – The Chinese Brain 14:11 – Beyond The Legend 🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell for more stories about how China is reshaping the global car industry, and what it does with the names the West left behind. #Freelander #LandRover #Defender #ChineseCars #Chery