Freelander 8 SUVs on display at the Chengdu Auto Show in August 2026. Credit: Freelander
- The Freelander 8’s pre-sales price after incentives starts at 329,900 yuan ($48,650), with official pricing to be announced at the launch event.
- The luxury extended-range SUV features Huawei Qiankun ADS 5 and has a CLTC battery-only range of 310 kilometers.
The Freelander brand developed by the joint venture between Chery (HKEX: 9973) and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will officially launch its first model, the Freelander 8, next week.
The brand announced on Friday that the Freelander 8’s global launch event will be held on September 3 in Beijing, without disclosing a specific time.
The luxury range-extended SUV began pre-sales in China on August 14 with a starting price of 339,900 yuan ($50,120).
Updated prices after incentives were announced on August 21, the opening day of the Chengdu Auto Show, starting at a lower 329,900 yuan ($48,650).
The Pro variant is priced at 329,900 yuan after incentives, while the Max and Max+ variants are priced at 359,900 yuan and 409,900 yuan, respectively.
The Freelander 8 secured more than 10,000 pre-orders within 48 hours of pre-sales beginning, offering an initial indication of demand as Chery-JLR enters the luxury extended-range SUV market.
Pre-orders disclosed by Chinese automakers, however, are typically based on refundable deposits and are not directly comparable with final deliveries.
The Freelander 8 features Huawei Qiankun ADS 5 and is among the world’s first vehicles to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8397 automotive-grade chip.
The chip delivers about 3 times the CPU and GPU performance of the previous-generation 8295 platform, while its NPU computing power is 12 times greater.
The vehicle uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder range extender and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, delivering a combined 610 kW (818 hp) and peak torque of 813 Nm.
It can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 4.6 seconds.
Its 60.3-kWh ternary lithium battery, supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750), provides a CLTC battery-only range of 310 kilometers.
Built on an 800-volt 6C high-voltage range-extended platform, the Freelander 8 can charge from 20% to 80% in as little as 12 minutes.
Off-road hardware includes a 250-kW 2-speed rear motor, ±10-degree rear-wheel steering, a closed-system dual-chamber air suspension and a mechanical front differential lock.
The model is available with either a 5-seat layout or a 2+2+2 6-seat configuration. It has a wheelbase of 3,040 millimeters and measures 5,118 millimeters in length, rising to 5,185 millimeters with optional equipment.
The cabin features a 15.6-inch Mini LED center display and a 17.3-inch ceiling-mounted rear screen, while the second row offers zero-gravity seats.
Freelander was originally a model line under JLR and was repositioned on March 31 as a standalone brand focused on new energy vehicles (NEVs).
The brand plans to launch 6 models over the next 5 years. The first production Freelander 8 rolled off the assembly line at the Changshu plant in Jiangsu province on July 30.
Its first overseas version will be a left-hand-drive model for the Middle East, with a launch expected between the end of this year and early next year.
The body structure page on Freelander 8’s website once featured Nio ES8’s body-in-white structural diagram and rendering, which was swapped out about 1 hour later.
($1 = 6.7811 yuan)
