Land Rover Gave Away the Freelander — China Just Launched It

The Freelander — the small Land Rover that sat on British driveways from 1997 to 2015 — is no longer a Land Rover. In June 2024, JLR licensed the name to its Chinese joint venture with Chery. On 31 March 2026 it stopped being a model and became a standalone brand, with its global headquarters in Shanghai, its cars built in Changshu on Chery's platform, and partnerships with Huawei, CATL and Qualcomm. The Freelander 8 rolled off the line on 30 July. Chinese pre-orders opened on 14 August and passed 10,000 in 48 hours. The 1,000-unit launch edition sold out before the official launch in Beijing on 3 September. It arrives in Britain in the second half of 2027 — through Chery's own showrooms, not Land Rover's, targeted at €45,000–55,000, below where a Defender starts. Six models in five years, a new one every six months. JLR has confirmed the brand sits outside its House of Brands framework — Jaguar, Defender, Discovery, Range Rover — with its own Chery-run dealer network, specifically to protect the premium range from the pricing pressure it will bring. In China, the Freelander replaced the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, both discontinued there. Asked whether it worried him, JLR's chief executive said the car was "completely their baby." This video also covers the company behind it. Chery registered 13 cars in Britain in August 2025 and 2,380 in August 2026 — a record 2.53% market share. In July it outsold Honda and Mazda combined. The Jaecoo 7 was Britain's best-selling car in March, beating the Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai. Chinese brands took 21% of the UK market in August. And it's moving in: a signed agreement to build cars at Nissan's Sunderland plant from 2027, talks with JLR about production at Halewood, a new hub in Liverpool, and an R&D centre opening at Millbrook in Bedfordshire this autumn. Did you own a Freelander? What do you make of the name coming back like this? Tell me in the comments. freelander, land rover freelander, freelander 8, chery, chery jaguar land rover, jlr, jaguar land rover, chinese cars uk, land rover news, defender, discovery sport, range rover evoque, chery uk, jaecoo, omoda, british car industry, chinese cars britain, halewood, nissan sunderland, uk car market 2026