Freelander 8 Puts JLR on Both Sides of the China Divide

Freelander 8 goes on sale here in 2027, a Land Rover name and JLR design built by Chery in China. Is licensing your heritage to a Chinese partner how a British badge survives Damien Meredith’s sums?

Freelander is a stand-alone brand created by Chery and Jaguar Land Rover. Freelander 8 is its first model here and in New Zealand, both named “priority right-hand-drive markets”.

The global launch was held on 29 September at Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi. The slogan is “Beyond the Legend”. The UAE is the first international market after the China launch on 3 September. Al Tayer Motors and Premier Motors will sell it there through 32 sales and service sites, with 3 flagship showrooms planned.

Chery Jaguar Land Rover, a 50:50 joint venture between Chery Automobile and JLR, was formed in 2012 with a US$2.78 billion investment. It’s built Land Rover and Jaguar models in China since 2014, including Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.

In June 2024 JLR licensed the Freelander name to that joint venture to create a stand-alone brand. JLR supplies the design and the all-terrain heritage. Chery covers engineering and supply chain, including its electric and hybrid technology.

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Freelander 8 Looks Like a Land Rover Because a Land Rover Man Drew It

Phil Simmons designed Freelander 8, and his previous work includes Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Defender. His Land Rover habits show in the boxy, upright shape and black roof. There’s a heritage rear quarter window, and the name is spelt across the nose.

It’s more than 5.1 metres long, a premium upper-large SUV with five- and six-seat layouts. It’ll compete with premium large SUVs from European and Japanese brands. The equipment list talks Land Rover too. An Intelligent All-Terrain System (i-ATS) offers 9 terrain modes, backed by an electronic limited-slip differential and a virtual centre locking function. There’s air suspension and a Mini LED display as well.

Freelander 8 is already on sale in China, where it took over 10,000 pre-orders within 48 hours. The first car came off the line at Changshu, in Jiangsu Province, on 30 July 2026, and Freelander employs over 5,000 staff across 5 global hubs.

The Australian powertrain is still unannounced. Prices and further specification details to follow.

Meredith’s Sums and a Heritage for Hire

Damien Meredith ran Kia here from May 2014 until 1 June 2026, then moved into an advisory role. In an interview published on 22 September, he said Chinese brands would take 60% of sales by the end of the decade. “They are saying it’s 2032, but I think it will be sooner than that.”

In Meredith’s sum, a 1.2-million market gives Chinese brands 720,000 sales, and everyone else sets their strategy to the roughly 500,000 left. “Is it going to take a lot of work? Bloody oath it will.” Chinese brands took 26.4% of the August VFACTS market, with 5 of them in the top 10. Ford’s local president, Fadi Mawal, said of the forecast, “He is probably right.”

Does Freelander put JLR on both sides of Meredith’s line, Land Rover and Range Rover in the smaller pool and a Chery-built Freelander in the bigger one? If so, licensing a heritage name to a Chinese partner is a way to set strategy to what’s left while still taking a share of what isn’t.

When Freelander 8 went on sale in China, I wrote that Chery’s quality had risen fast. I also called it a possible shot in the arm for JLR. Land Rover and Range Rover kept Jaguar on life support, and the Jaguar relaunch was, to use my word at the time, gigastrophic.

The original Freelander had poor reliability, yet owners loved it.

Who Will Sell Freelander 8 Here

Kym Mellow heads Freelander in Australia and New Zealand after executive roles at Inchcape Australasia and Mazda. Mellow’s remit covers everything from brand strategy and market entry through to aftersales and the dealer network.

“Freelander brings together JLR’s British design and all-terrain heritage with the best of Chery’s technology, scale and supply chain,” Mellow said.

Freelander 8 will be sold through established local dealers in metro and selected regional areas. Dealer appointments will be announced before launch, and senior local roles are still being recruited. Freelander plans 6 models over the next 5 years. SUVs made up 65% of the 848,920 new vehicles sold here from January to August, by the FCAI’s count.

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