Who's behind the badge
Freelander
A Chery brand using a Land Rover name: JLR owns the Freelander name and has licensed it to Chery.
Freelander was a Land Rover model name. It now returns as a separate brand built by Chery under its long-standing joint venture with Jaguar Land Rover in China.
JLR designs the cars; Chery engineers, builds and sells them. JLR chief executive PB Balaji has called it "Chery's car" and says JLR won't stop Chery bringing the brand to the UK. Freelanders would not be sold in Land Rover showrooms.
The first model is the large Freelander 8. The planned roll-out starts in the Middle East and North Africa, then right-hand-drive markets led by Australia and New Zealand, then mainland Europe, with the UK and Ireland after that. No UK date has been given.
Timeline
- 2026 Freelander 8 revealed (May); sales start in China later in the year.
- 2026 Export roll-out announced, with the UK and Ireland after mainland Europe (October).
Sources
- Autocar: JLR will not stop Chery bringing Freelander brand to UK, says CEO
- Auto Express: It's not a Land Rover! New Freelander 8 revealed · 22 Oct 2026
Checked 9 Nov 2026. Ownership changes: if something here is out of date, tell us.
