The new Freelander brand – a product of Jaguar Land Rover’s JV with Chery – has made its global debut with a show car, Concept 97.
Freelander – which features its brand new architecture and collaborations with supplier partners including Huawei, CATL, and Qualcomm – is a compact premium SUV. The brand plans to launch a family of new models within five years, in key global markets. This year, it aims to establish a high-quality service network in China with 100 stores across 60 cities.
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The new-era Freelander is described as a premium EV brand jointly developed by Chery Group and JLR as part of their twelve-year joint venture. It represents a new model of forward-looking strategic collaboration, combining Chery’s advanced Chinese technology with JLR’s expertise in world class design and the spirit and DNA of the original 1997 Freelander.
Brand strategy
Freelander has established a fully integrated operations system including: Global Headquarters in Shanghai, Shanghai Freelander Design Hub, Suzhou R&D Institute and Changshu CJLR intelligent Manufacturing Facility, with nearly 5,000 ‘global experts’.
All Freelander models will be new Energy: premium SUV EVs, all models electrified and intelligently equipped, the brand says.
The Freelander name was derived from ‘Freedom’ (state of being unrestricted and able to move easily) and ‘Lander’ (a space probe for the moon or a planet).
Freelander’s signature rear triangle window has been elevated into the new brand graphic, symbolizing openness to a broader world. The F and L contours encode the brand’s spirit and structure, the brand says.
The brand says Freelander’s audience includes ‘adherents of its philosophy, self-rewarding achievers, independent opinion leaders, and lifestyle dreamers pursuing inner freedom’. They value experiences beyond standard life and crave new perspectives.
Freelander Concept 97 builds on its unique heritage. Elements like the expressive triangular window graphics, rounded surfacing and protective elements show a clear lineage to the 1997 original.
