Overnight Land Rover and Chery took the covers off Concept 97, which previews the first model from the newly spun-off Freelander brand.
Named after the year the original Land Rover Freelander that went into the production in 1997. The concept’s design is clearly patterned on the first-generation Freelander, with some styling elements from the second-generation thrown into the mix.
The Concept 97’s upright, boxy silhouette is a call back to both the first-generation Freelander and Defender.
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Design elements taken from the original Freelander include the circular wheel arch protectors finished in gloss black plastic, and the flat sides punctuated by a rounded shoulder line.
The look of the rear quarter windows, which are bisected by the D-pillar, is cribbed from the first-generation three-door model. This shape, in a stylised form, is the “brand’s signature”, and appears in various places throughout the concept’s interior, as well as the front and rear lighting signature, and alloy wheel caps.
Reverse-hinged, or suicide, doors are employed on the concept to make ingress and egress easier. However, leaked images from a crash test show the production version will have conventionally-hinged rear doors.
Both the production model and concept have a screen running from pillar to pillar at the base of the windscreen, as well as a large central infotainment touchscreen with an array of physical buttons underneath.
Some of the concept’s other interior components, such as the lounge-like third row seats, may not survive the transition to production, though.
Chery Land Rover didn’t reveal any details about the car’s drivetrain. More details are likely to come to light when the production version of Concept 97 is unveiled in June this year.
The production version is widely thought to ride on Chery’s T1X platform, and the car will be offered with both plug-in hybrid and pure electric drivetrains.
Qualcomm will supply the chips powering the infotainment and other systems, the advanced driver assistance systems will come from Huawei, and the battery packs will be sourced from CATL.
The Freelander brand will go on sale in China through a network around 60 stores in 50 cities located around the country. Although the marque’s overseas plans have yet to be revealed, the company said Freelander is reinventing “the path for Chinese automobiles to go global”, as well as how a “century-old brand thrives in a new era”.
It also said Freelander will “not compete in days or months, [it will] compete over a century”.
Launched in 1997, the original Land Rover Freelander took the brand into the segment created by the Toyota RAV4 a few years earlier. Like the Toyota, the Freelander had a car-like unibody structure, transversely mounted engine, and all-wheel drive.
Thanks to its attractive boxy styling, high seating position, spacious interior, and more off-road ability than most owners ever thought of using, the Freelander was a runaway success.
In 2024 Jaguar Land Rover and Chery confirmed they were reviving the Freelander name for a new standalone SUV brand to be built in China. Production of new Freelander models will take place at the joint venture’s Changshu plant, where they will replace locally made versions of various Jaguar and Land Rover products.