Nearly 12 years since it was discontinued, Land Rover’s iconic Freelander nameplate is finally coming back – but except this time, it won’t be a Land Rover at all. Instead, the Freelander name will be used as a new independent sub-brand as a result of a joint venture between Chery and Jaguar Land Rover, and its first concept model has just made its global debut.
Dubbed the Concept97, as a nod to the year the original Freelander made its debut, the new rugged off-road SUV will serve as a preview of the new brand’s future, combining Land Rover’s iconic design – headed by JLR design chief Gerry McGovern, who also styled the original Freelander – with Chery’s expertise in electrified drivetrains.
Despite now adopting a much more boxy silhouette, the new Concept97 has definitely still inherited some of the original Freelander’s signature touches, most notably the split triangular rear quarter window that was made famous by the L314-generation three-door cabrio.
In fact, the unique shape will also form the new Freelander brand’s identity, to be incorporated into all of its presence both on- and off-line. The same shapes can also be found peppered throughout the Concept97’s exterior design, including within the light signatures, side steps, and also as a faux skid-plate trim on both ends of the SUV. Smart.
It’s an entirely different story on the inside, though, with the Concept97 dispensing with almost any Land Rover-esque design, save for the rectangular badge on the steering wheel (that now reads ‘FREELANDER’, of course).
Rather, the cabin has adopted an ultra-minimalist look, with the entire dashboard only punctuated by a single floating infotainment screen, and two rotary dials for physical controls on the centre console. Above, a wraparound display for driving information stretches across the entire cowl – almost like BMW’s Panoramic iDrive setup, although it looks like screens here, instead of BMW’s fancy projection tech.
READ MORE: Remember the Land Rover Freelander? Its name will now be used by Chery for its new EVs
Stretching over 5,100 mm in overall length, the Freelander Concept97 houses six seats inside in a 2+2+2 configuration. The second row gets zero-gravity captain chairs, divided by a centre console, while the third row appears to be a bench seat paired to wraparound backrests that extend out of the door trims. It’s certainly a unique look, almost like a lounge sofa, although we’re not too sure how much of this will make it into production.
Behind, the rear windscreen wraps upwards to also form part of the roof. Freelander says that the Concept97 also features a retractable cloth roof and rear window, both inspired by the three-door Freelander cabriolet.
Not much is known so far on its mechanical bits, although the company has confirmed that it’ll feature the “world’s first all-terrain specific Freevoy Range-Extended Hybrid Battery”, developed in collaboration with CATL, with dedicated under protection and an extra polymer coating to enhance impact strength.
It’ll also be built on a brand-new 800V “range-extended” platform, developed specifically for Freelander’s full range of SUV products with support for pure electric, plug-in hybrid, and range-extended powertrains. There’ll be a new model every six months over the coming five years, Freelander says, each to be offered with a choice between all three propulsion methods.
The new Freelander cars will be built at Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s (CJLR) factory in Changshu, which is currently being revamped for EV production at an investment worth CNY3 billion (approx. RM1.8 billion). But despite its origins, Freelander says that its cars are developed for the global market in mind, and have confirmed plans for a rapid-fire expansion in the coming years, including Europe.
Speaking to Autocar, Freelander CEO Wen Fei said, “From its very first day of existence, every Freelander product is conceived and calibrated for the diverse demands of markets across the world. We are not exporting a Chinese car to the world, but we are building a world car, for the world, from the very beginning.”
ALSO READ: China’s Chery is going racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The first Freelander model prototypes have already undergone extensive testing in Europe, with the car engineered to be compliant with Euro NCAP rules. Wen emphasised that the exported cars will not be merely adapted versions of the Chinese-market cars, but highly bespoke derivatives that are tailored to individual market needs.
“International variants are currently in intensive development and shall, after launch in China, make their distinguished entry into the world’s foremost markets,” he added.
