SHANGHAI, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FREELANDER hosted its international guests at FREELANDER Nightfall at the Hengli Hotel in Wuhu last month, as part of the 2026 Chery International User Summit. Conceived as a brand experience rather than a launch event, the evening…
SHANGHAI, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The international five-seat version of FREELANDER 8, the premium intelligent all-terrain SUV from the British brand FREELANDER, made its first public appearance last month at FREELANDER Nightfall, the brand’s evening at the 2026 Chery International User Summit in…
FREELANDER 8 reaches the top of the hill-climb ramp on the obstacle course during the first test drive of the international variant of FREELANDER 8 Side view of FREELANDER 8 in motion on the paved test course during the first test drive of…
The brand slogan “Beyond the Legend” expresses the ambition to build on this heritage through intelligent innovation and distinctive design. A Fresh Expression of a Familiar Character As the brand’s first model, FREELANDER 8 brings a confident new look to the…
Testing in Rain and Mud The programme brought together driving experiences at Tuju Campground, an obstacle course and a paved test course. Rain added to the challenge, giving participants an opportunity to assess the vehicle on slippery surfaces as well…
Driving in Changing Conditions At Tuju Campground, participants drove through mud, S-bends, wavy roads, sand and gravel. The changing surfaces gave visitors a practical view of how the vehicle responds beyond a showroom setting. “I think the driving experience is…
At the 2026 Chery International User Summit in Wuhu, global participants tested the FREELANDER 8, a British premium all-terrain vehicle co-developed by JLR and Chery. The vehicle was driven through mud, steep slopes, and paved roads, including rainy conditions, demonstrating its nine…
The SUV made its international debut in Abu Dhabi on 29 September, with further details and a five-seat version revealed at the 2026 Chery International User Summit in Wuhu, China, on 19 October. A six-seat version is also planned. The first market launch…
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At its Global Brand Launch in Abu Dhabi on 29 September 2026, FREELANDER presented the design of FREELANDER 8, the brand's first strategic model. The presentation showed how the British design heritage of the original…
SHANGHAI, Oct. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International guests have shared their first-hand impressions of FREELANDER 8 after three days behind the wheel at the 2026 Chery International User Summit in Wuhu. The first test drive of the international variant combined an all-terrain course, an…
The Freelander has lived two very different lives. The first began in 1997, when Land Rover launched a compact SUV with a unibody structure and car-like manners, its smallest and most affordable model and, for a time, one of Europe's best-selling four-by-fours. Born in the Rover Group era, it brought the brand to buyers who had never considered one, and its second generation, launched in 2006 and sold in America as the LR2, made it more refined, more solid and considerably more capable off the road.
The original line ended in 2014, when the Discovery Sport took its place, and the name went quiet for a decade. Fans remember the Freelander as a likable, practical machine, though early engines and drivetrains earned a poor reputation and traditionalists questioned whether a car-based Land Rover counted as a real one. Its importance lay in proving that the brand could sell in volume well beyond its traditional customers, a lesson that shaped the Evoque, the Discovery Sport and much of what followed.
The name has returned in a new form through Chery Jaguar Land Rover, the Chinese joint venture between JLR and Chery, as a standalone electrified brand. Its first model, the large Freelander 8, shares its technology with Chery rather than with Land Rover's British products, and early drives have praised its all-terrain ability while noting it is not, strictly speaking, a Land Rover. The brand has unveiled a five-seat SUV and announced plans for markets well beyond China, including Australia and the Middle East.
Coverage here follows both lives: retrospectives and buying guides for the original Freelanders, and launches, reviews, dealer plans and export news for the new Chinese brand. The revival is one of the more unusual experiments in the industry, a heritage British name relaunched as a Chinese electric marque, and it will show whether nostalgia and a famous badge can help a new player stand out in a crowded market, and what that means for the Land Rover name back home.
Land Rover's 1997 compact SUV, now reborn in China as a Chery-built electrified brand led by the Freelander 8 and bound for markets abroad.
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