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Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with car giant Chery to develop a new range of electric vehicles, set to wear the Freelander badge for the first time in at least a decade.
The Land Rover Freelander name is poised to return on a new range of electric cars developed, built and initially sold exclusively in China.
A new range of Freelander-badged electric vehicles (EVs) will be co-developed with Chery, a partner of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in the country for the past 12 years, which has to-date built the UK car brands’ vehicles for the domestic market in a joint venture.
The new cars will be underpinned by a Chery electric-vehicle architecture, and JLR states they will be “initially sold in China through a distinct network but [are] over time destined for global export.”
They revive the Freelander nameplate last used on a mid-size SUV sold from 1997 to 2015, which was replaced by the Discovery Sport.
The Freelander models are described as “mainstream electric vehicles,” suggesting they may be cheaper than Jaguar Land Rover’s current model range, which starts from 389,900 Chinese yuan ($AU80,510) for a petrol Discovery Sport.
Production will occur in the Chery-Jaguar Land Rover joint-venture factory in Changshu, which currently builds select Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover models for the local market.
It remains to be seen if the vehicles are being developed for right-hand drive to suit markets like the UK and Australia, in addition to China’s left-hand drive layout.
A release date for the Freelander range is yet to be announced, though if development has only just commenced on the vehicles, they may be three or more years away.
The Freelander electric vehicles will be sold alongside upcoming battery-powered vehicles from the Jaguar and Land Rover brands – including Defender and Range Rover models – as well as Chery’s own electric cars.
Jaguar Land Rover is not the only international car maker to partner with a Chinese firm to develop electric vehicles for the world’s largest car market, or global sales.
Audi has signed a deal to use an electric-car platform from SAIC, while BYD’s battery technology is used in vehicles from Tesla, Kia, Toyota and other companies.
The post Land Rover Freelander to return as new China-developed and built electric-car range appeared first on Drive.
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