Freelander 8
Battery electric and range-extended full-size SUV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Freelander 8 (Chinese: 神行者8; pinyin: Shénxíngzhě 8; lit. 'God traveler 8') is a full-size SUV, it will be the first vehicle sold under the Freelander marque. It is developed by Chery and produced at the Chery Jaguar Land Rover plant in Changshu. It is available with battery electric, range-extended, and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
| Freelander 8 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chery Jaguar Land Rover |
| Model code | E0V |
| Production | July 2026 – present[1] |
| Assembly | China: Changshu (Chery Jaguar Land Rover) |
| Designer | Gerry McGovern |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size SUV |
| Body style | 5-door SUV |
| Layout | |
| Platform | Chery E0X Platform |
| Chassis | Unibody |
| Related | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.5 L SQRH4J15 turbo I4 |
| Electric motor | 2× permanent magnet synchronous |
| Power output | 610 kW (829 PS; 818 hp) |
| Transmission |
|
| Hybrid drivetrain | Series (range extender) |
| Battery | 60.331 kWh Freevoy NMC CATL |
| Electric range |
|
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 3,040 mm (119.7 in) |
| Length | 5,118 mm (201.5 in) |
| Width | 2,050 mm (80.7 in) |
| Height | 1,898 mm (74.7 in) |
| Kerb weight | 2,980 kg (6,570 lb) |
History
On 19 June 2024, Jaguar Land Rover partnered with Chery to build new vehicles on the latter's E0X platform under the Freelander brand. Prior to this announcement JLR had said it would use the E0X and M3X platforms for plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles. A letter of intent for building vehicles under the Freelander brand was signed on the same day.[3]
An early design of the E0V (the codename for the Freelander 8) was revealed on November 12, 2024.[4]
On 29 April 2025, it was revealed that a trademark for Freelander was filed in Australia.[5] On 14 May 2025, it was confirmed that it would arrive as a plug-in hybrid initially and that it would be styled by Gerry McGovern, then-chief creative officer of Jaguar Land Rover.[6]
The first spyshots of the Freelander 8 were released on 1 August 2025, when a prototype was spotted testing in Suzhou.[7] By November 2025, 150 Freelander 8 prototypes were built by JLR and Chery.[8]
On 21 January 2026, it was confirmed that the brand would first launch in the Middle East due to a shift in the Freelander marque's strategy.[9] On 24 March 2026, it was announced that the Freelander brand would be revealed in Shanghai on 31 March.[10] The Freelander 8 was accidentally unveiled via crash test photos on 26 March 2026.[11] Official teasers for the Freelander Concept 97 were shown on the same day that the reveal date was announced.[12]
The Freelander Concept 97 was unveiled on 31 March 2026, alongside the Freelander marque itself. The Concept 97 serves as a preview of the Freelander 8.[13]
On 25 April 2026, the production version was unveiled as Freelander 8.[14]
Overview
The Freelander 8 serves as the first model of the marque. It is a full-size SUV measuring at least 5,100 millimetres (201 in) in length. It was initially developed for Exeed before being transferred over to Freelander.[4]
Rear view
Interior
Design
The design of the Freelander 8 and the Concept 97 were influenced by the original Land Rover Freelander. It has an inclined D-pillar that was also used for the 3-door version of the original Freelander. The black trim on the front end and the headlights were influenced by the Freelander's 2003 facelift. The hood, grille, and skid plate of the Concept 97 are finished in aluminium.[15]
Features
Photos from a crash test revealed that the Freelander will use a LiDAR sensor at the front. A solid-state LiDAR will also be mounted at the rear. The Freelander will come with Huawei's Qiankun advanced driver-assistance system. The interior uses a three-spoke steering wheel, a floating central touchscreen, and a second screen that has been compared to that of the screens in Avatr vehicles. An electronic column shifter comes standard as well as a hollowed-out centre console and dual wireless charging pads.[11] The Freelander features a 46.3 inch panoramic dashboard display[16], a 15.6-inch Mini-LED infotainment touchscreen powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8397 chipset.[17]
Powertrain
The Freelander 8 is available exclusively as a range-extender electric vehicle at launch. It uses a Chery 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 in Miller cycle which outputs 141 hp (105 kW; 143 PS) (154 hp (115 kW; 156 PS) gross power) and 220 N⋅m (162 lb⋅ft) of torque and is not mechanically connected to the wheels; it has a peak thermal efficiency of 45.79%. It is driven by a 483 hp (360 kW; 490 PS) front motor with a locking differential and a 335 hp (250 kW; 340 PS) rear motor which has a 2-speed transmission with the low gear acting as a low range gear to achieve a maximum wheel torque of 8,000 N⋅m (5,900 lb⋅ft) and is equipped with an electronic limited-slip differential and virtual center differential lock, for a total of 818 hp (610 kW; 829 PS). It is powered by a 60.331 kWh NMC Freevoy (Xiaoyao) battery pack supplied by CATL providing 221 kilometres (137 mi) of WLTP electric range, and can be recharged from 20–80% in 12 minutes with the help of 800-volt power electronics.[18][19]
| Battery | Motor | Power | Torque | Electric range | 0–100 km/h (62 mph) |
Top speed | Kerb weight | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Weight | Front | Rear | Front | Rear | Total | Front | Rear | Total | WLTP | CLTC | |||
| 60.331 kWh NMC CATL | 372 kg (820 lb) |
TZ18XYA0 PMSM | YD60TZ22A0 PMSM | 483 hp (360 kW; 490 PS) |
335 hp (250 kW; 340 PS) |
818 hp (610 kW; 829 PS) |
338 N⋅m (249 lb⋅ft) |
475 N⋅m (350 lb⋅ft) |
813 N⋅m (600 lb⋅ft) |
221 km (137 mi) |
310 km (193 mi) |
4.6 s | 220 km/h (137 mph) |
2,980 kg (6,570 lb) |
Sales
The Freelander 8 received over 10,000 pre-orders within 48 hours of pre-sales opening on 14 August 2026.[18]