Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is bringing back the Freelander marque with an electrified version, a full-size SUV that will be launched in the second half of 2026, according to JLR’s head in China. Now, the new logo of the comeback brand also represents how the company is repositioning its China business with its joint venture partner, Chery.
Nick Gibbs of Autocar UK reported that Chery is developing the Freelander electrified range using an in-house “flexible” platform, according to JLR China head Qing Pan, as told to investors. JLR, meanwhile, is responsible for designing the new cars.
Moreover, Autocar has learned that the platform will be Chery’s T1X, which is also used by the company’s Jaecoo, Omoda, and Chery brands. The first model is set to be a plug-in hybrid with a design that blends chunky off-road visual cues with a Porsche Macan-style coupé shape.
Qing said that the first car will “echo the original spirit of Freelander but brought up to date to appeal to discerning, technologically savvy Chinese consumers,” He further explained that the Freelander range will be launched first in China, with the “potential for global expansion.”
In June 2025, JLR and Chery signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen CJLR’s (Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. and Chery Automobile Company Ltd.’s joint venture) product offering for the next era of electrification in China. The new model of collaboration leverages both parties’ complementary strengths fully. Under the proposed new licensing agreement, the CJLR Joint Venture will focus on producing an advanced portfolio of electric vehicles based on Chery’s EV architecture, exclusively under the Freelander name.
The Freelander will become a brand reborn under license from JLR as part of a new value creation system, independent of both Chery’s existing portfolio and JLR’s modern luxury House of Brands.
The Freelander brand is back with a new logo
