Freelander 8. Credit: Freelander
- The Freelander 8 will roll off the production line at the joint venture’s Changshu plant in Jiangsu on July 30, with pre-sales set to begin on August 10.
- The first overseas version of the model will enter the Middle East between the end of this year and early next year.
Freelander, the revived electric vehicle (EV) brand under a joint venture between Chery (HKEX: 9973) and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has announced the pre-sales timetable for its first model, marking another step toward commercial operations.
Pre-sales of the Freelander 8 will officially begin in China on August 10, the brand’s global CEO Wen Fei said Wednesday on Weibo.
Before that, the SUV (sport utility vehicle) will roll off the production line on July 30 at Chery-JLR’s plant in Changshu, Jiangsu province, according to Wen’s post.
Wen described Freelander as a product of the “3.0 era” of joint ventures between Chinese and foreign automakers, saying international heritage, Chinese technology and global systems are converging to create new competitiveness.
Freelander is exploring a path for the growth of a new joint-venture brand through original design, intelligent technology and global standards, he said.
The Freelander 8 all-terrain SUV is an extended-range electric vehicle and comes standard across the lineup with Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 5 driving-assistance system and an 800-volt high-voltage platform, according to previously released information.
The model will be among the first in the world to feature Huawei’s 4-LiDAR setup and one of the first production vehicles to use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8397 automotive-grade chip.
Every Freelander model is developed under a “1+3” approach, comprising 1 China-based version and 3 variants developed simultaneously for international left-hand-drive markets, the European Union and right-hand-drive markets, Wen said at the 2026 China Auto Forum.
Wen Fei, Freelander’s global CEO, delivered a speech at the 2026 China Automotive Forum. Credit: Freelander
The approach is designed to meet regulatory certification standards in more than 180 major automotive markets worldwide.
The first overseas model, a left-hand-drive version for the Middle East, will enter the region between the end of this year and early next year, Wen said.
The Freelander 8 measures 5,118 millimeters in length, or 5,185 millimeters with an optional configuration, 2,050 millimeters in width and 1,898 millimeters in height, with a wheelbase of 3,040 millimeters.
The vehicle has a 2+2+2 six-seat layout, with 2 zero-gravity seats in the second row offering heating, ventilation and massage functions.
The SUV features a 46.3-inch remote display and a 15.6-inch center screen. It also uses an all-terrain battery jointly developed with CATL (HKEX: 3750), with a peak charging power of 350 kW.
Freelander was originally a classic vehicle line under Jaguar Land Rover. On March 31, the Chery-JLR joint venture upgraded it into an independent brand focused on new energy vehicles (NEVs).
The brand plans to launch 6 new models in China and global markets over the next 5 years. To support the product lineup, the joint venture will invest an additional RMB 3 billion ($442 million) in its manufacturing plant in Changshu.
Freelander has stepped up promotional efforts for the Freelander 8 this month, releasing details of both the exterior and interior.
Freelander’s factory in Changzhou, Jiangsu. Credit: Freelander
The Freelander 8 features a 46.3-inch 8K screen and comes standard with Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 5 assisted-driving system.
($1 = 6.7906 yuan)
