Nearly 12 years since it left us, the Freelander name is back on a car – but it’s not a Land Rover. Instead, Chery has licenced the moniker from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on a new electrified brand to join its myriad of other marques. This is the first fruit of the Chinese giant’s labour, the Concept 97, referencing the debut of the much-loved original baby LR in 1997.
But there’s nothing baby about this Freelander, because it has grown into a full-sized SUV with three rows of seats. That much is reflected in the rectilinear styling, which is more akin to the Discovery 3 – another iconic “modern” Land Rover.
Still, the design does carry a few references to the seminal L314, most notably the split triangular rear three-quarter windows from the three-door cabriolet. In fact, the brand’s logo is made up of those triangles that represent “FL”, although the front and rear fascias instead have the Freelander script stamped on.
The minimalist face draws more cues from past Land Rovers, including interlocking rectangular headlights connected to black bars that go all the way down the bumper. From the looks of it, these actually house large displays that allow for customised lighting signatures; don’t expect these to make it to production, of course. The displays frame a silver section that stretches from the bonnet to the bottom, with little in the way of cooling openings and yet more triangular panels at the bottom.
Along the side, the Concept 97 features a strong stance thanks to square, almost Volvo-like shoulders and prominent wheel arch flares. The doors, which reach all the way to the roof, are suicide units that, together with the lack of B-pillar, provide uninterrupted access to the cabin. However, we already know the finalised version won’t have these, given that crash-tested prototypes were recently spotted with normal doors. The rear end carries slim horizontal taillights and a silver finish again for the tailgate and bumper.
Step inside and you’ll find an cabin unlike any Land Rover (or any Chery, for that matter). The minimalist is set low, framed by a wraparound display that stretches from pillar to pillar – mimicking BMW’s novel Panoramic Vision setup without the expensive projection technology.
You also get a large floating infotainment touchscreen underlined by physical controls, sitting above a centre console “bridge”. The plush seats, upholstered in blue and white woven fabric, are akin to lounge chairs, with the driver sitting behind and oblong steering wheel.
The Concept 97 carries six seats, with the second row featuring captain’s chairs and another substantial centre console. The third row, on the other hand, is formed by a wraparound backrest and wide headrests; good luck getting these to fold down. Freelander says the car also features a retractable cloth roof and rear window – another cue it has taken from that three-door cabrio.
“The new Freelander brand world and Concept 97 show car demonstrate a bold and individual approach to design which, combined with innovative Chinese technology, is intended to make customers fall in love with the Freelander brand,” said design hub director Phil Simmons. “Concept 97 is designed for the urban outdoors, retaining an off-road spirit while embracing city life. It celebrates freedom, individuality and joy.”
According to Autohome, all new Freelander models will feature Qualcomm’s new flagship-level Snapdragon 8397 chip, offering three times CPU computing power, nearly three times the GPU computing power, and twelve times the AI computing power of the previous 8295 processor.
They will also be juiced by CATL batteries and come with Huawei’s Qiankun autonomous driving capability, working in concert with a lidar sensor; the latter will almost certainly be exclusive to China. Unlike what was previously disclosed, Freelander will ditch Chery’s existing platforms in favour of a brand new architecture.
The cars will be built at Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s (CJLR) Intelligent Manufacturing Base in Changshu, where a total of three billion yuan (RM1.76 billion) has been invested for EV production. The brand is set to launch a whole family of models within the next five years and will be offered in key global markets. It’s been reported there will be six new cars that will also include range extender EVs and plug-in hybrids.
