The Freelander brand is confirmed for launch in the United Kingdom, reports Autocar, and the brand’s arrival into the UK will be part of its “third wave” of market expansion.
The brand will first enter the Middle Eastern and North African markets, followed by right-hand-drive markets Australia and New Zealand; the UK and European markets will follow suit. According to the publication, the exact year of the Freelander brand’s arrival in the UK has yet to be confirmed.
Previously a Land Rover nameplate for the carmaker’s entry-level SUV, the Freelander name was licenced to Chery in 2024 for the development of EV models under its own brand, destined for export markets.
This would result in the end of China-based production of Jaguar Land Rover models in Changsha, for the switch to the production of Chery-based vehicles under the Freelander brand.
Just weeks after showing the Concept 97, the Chery group unveiled the Freelander 8 in April this year, a productionised three-row SUV with two powertrain types; battery-electric, and range-extended EV.
The model destined for the United Kingdom market would not be adapted versions of Chinese-market models, but rather will be new versions tailored to each market, Freelander CEO Wen Fei was previously quoted as saying.
To that end, the Freelander 8 set for the UK will reportedly feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain comprised of a 2.0 litre petrol engine with two electric motors, producing a combined output of 626 PS while a 34 kWh battery offers up to 109 km of EV range, and be able to receive up to 350 kW charging.
For comparison, Chinese news sources reported in July this year that the Freelander 8 for the Chinese market in the aforementioned REEV form will get a 1.5 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In this Chinese-market configuration, the Freelander 8 gets a 60.331 kWh battery that offers up to 221 km of EV range on the WLTP standard.
The Freelander 8 is the first of six new models from the brand, which will be launched over the next five years. The Freelander brand will eventually be sold in 90 countries worldwide, and the company has said that it will conduct the testing of prototypes in Southeast Asia as well as other markets; the Freelander 8 is expected to score a five-star Asean NCAP rating, according to the company.
The Malaysian market has yet to be confirmed for the Freelander brand. Should the Freelander 8 arrive in this market, would you have one?
GALLERY: Freelander 8 in Wuhu, China
GALLERY: Freelander 8
GALLERY: Freelander 8 First Edition



















































































