Land Rover licences Freelander brand to Chery for development of new EVs, global exports planned

Chery has been building Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in China for nearly a decade and has also taken design inspiration from its British partner, most notably with the Land Rover-aping Jaecoo brand. The story has now come full circle with the Chinese carmaker signing a deal with JLR to licence the Freelander brand for a new range of electric vehicles.

The marque will be focused on “mainstream” EVs, separate from both Chery’s lineup and JLR’s “House of Brands”, the latter including the Discovery, Defender, Range Rover and Jaguar nameplates. The cars will be designed by both Chery and JLR teams, based on Chery’s own EV architecture and built at the existing Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR) plant in Changshu.

Freelander will initially sell its cars in China through a separate dealer network, but global exports are being planned. The moniker was last used on Land Rover’s entry-level SUV, of which two generations were produced starting in 1997 before being replaced by the Discovery Sport in 2014.

“Today we are taking this important strategic step for JLR, one which underlines our ongoing commitment to China and complements our existing business in China,” said JLR CEO Adrian Mardell. “We believe that working together to develop new models of collaboration for the world’s largest and fastest-growing electric vehicle market, combined with the appeal of the Freelander brand, promises a very exciting future for CJLR.”

Chery Group chairman Yin Tongyue added: “Chery and JLR are forging an innovative collaboration model that epitomises our growth path for the future. The blend of Chery’s advanced EV technology with the distinctive appeal of the Freelander brand will undoubtedly provide China and global consumers with a unique electric vehicle experience.”

The Freelander deal will almost certainly be part of a quid pro quo deal that is set to see JLR appropriate Chery’s platforms for its own EVs and plug-in hybrids. Car News China reported that the former would use the Exeed brand’s M3X (for internal combustion engines and PHEVs) and E0X (for EVs) platforms.

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