At long last, there's a new Freelander, but this one is a bit different to what you might remember.
Just jog my memory about the old Freelander?
The original 1997 Land Rover Freelander was the brand's first 'soft roader' and used a mixture of Rover Group and later BMW mechanical bits, while the second generation that came along in 2006 was based on a Ford Mondeo platform. The Freelander was a big hit, and for a long while was Europe's best-selling off-roader, before being replaced in 2015 by the Land Rover Discovery Sport. It was also the first production Land Rover to be styled by Gerry McGovern…
So tell us about this new Land Rover…
Ah, sorry. I can't.
Why not?
Because, strictly speaking, this new Freelander isn't a Land Rover at all. Freelander has now become its own brand, and a whole model lineup is being planned, as part of a collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Chinese car maker Chery (which is already operating in Europe, albeit not yet Ireland, with its Chery, Jaecoo, and Omoda brands). The new Freelanders will be built in China and sold there at first, but the new company has confirmed its ambition for European and global exports.
It looks a bit like a Defender…
It certainly does, although it's worth pointing out that the Freelander shown off in Beijing today is a concept model - hence the dramatic rear-hinged back doors - and not the final production version. The styling cues are a mix of modern Defender and classic Freelander, with the heavily angled rear pillar and the inset quad lights at the front being throwbacks to the original Mk1. Even this car's name alludes to the original Freelander, as it's called the Concept 97.
What's under the skin?
We're not 100 per cent sure yet, although we do know that Freelander plans to offer fully-electric, range extender, and plug-in hybrid models, which will most likely be based on existing Chery Group engines and batteries. The new brand claims that its electric versions are based on an 800-volt architecture, so fast-charging should be a given, but that's about all we've been told on the tech front, other than that the concept is of a properly rugged electric 4x4, rather than an urban 'soft-roader.'
How many models will there be?
That's still TBA at the moment, but Freelander has said it will launch one new model every six months for the next five years, so that would suggest at least ten models initially, although some of those will be variants rather than entirely different cars.
Will there be a three-door convertible, like the original Freelander?
We'd like to think that there might be, but nothing like that has yet been confirmed. Sorry.
Will the new Freelander(s) come to Ireland?
It seems likely, but as with so much else about this new brand, there's nothing official yet. According to the new brand's chief executive Wei Lan: "The genesis of the Freelander lay in recognition of the tremendous success of urban multi-purpose SUVs across European and North American markets, inspiring the creation of an entirely new vehicle that would unite 4x4 SUV capability, urban versatility and sheer driving pleasure.”
So that's a maybe?
Yup, it is. The likelihood is that Freelanders will be sold in Europe by existing Jaguar Land Rover dealers, giving them a more affordable brand with which to work as both Jaguar and Land Rover press ever further upmarket, but again, that's all still under negotiation for now. That said, given the speed at which the Chinese car industry works, expect to see new Freelanders on European roads sooner rather than later.