Freelander's Australian push underpinned by US$440 million overhaul of its Chinese factory

US$440 million upgrade confirmed for Changshu plant

The Australian launch of the revived Freelander brand will be backed by a US$440 million (A$630m) overhaul of the Chinese factory building its new SUVs, as reported by CarExpert. In written answers supplied to media, Freelander confirmed: "USD 440 million has been dedicated to a comprehensive upgrade of [our] intelligent manufacturing system for new energy vehicle production." The spending is directed at the existing manufacturing base in Changshu, near Shanghai, and forms part of a wider investment at the facility that Freelander now puts at more than US$3.1 billion (A$4.44 billion). ¹

The plant transition is significant for the brand's history: Changshu previously built Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles including the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport. The partners' original June 2024 announcement proposed licensing the Freelander name to the joint venture for vehicles on Chery's electric vehicle architecture, and by May 2025 there were reports of plans to phase out the plant's Jaguar and Land Rover models to make room for Freelander, as CarExpert has detailed. ¹

Freelander says the upgraded facility contains more than 1100 robots, including 1054 in the welding workshop, with welding fully automated. Digital production systems record manufacturing stages for quality traceability, and pre-departure checks include high-voltage battery sealing inspections, driver-assistance calibration, electronic systems verification and a five-minute full-vehicle water-spray test, according to the company. It has not provided an annual production target or an Australian supply allocation. ¹

Production under way and rollout planned from the Middle East

Production of the Freelander 8 has already started, with the first vehicle rolling off the Changshu line on July 30, 2026. JLR confirmed that milestone in its August financial update, while Chery's announcement said manufacturing for international markets was also under way. Neither announcement specified a production start for Australia or the number of vehicles earmarked for this market, CarExpert reports. ¹

In a GlobeNewswire press release issued at its Global Brand Launch in Abu Dhabi on September 29, 2026, Freelander outlined a phased international roadmap: left-hand-drive markets across the Middle East and North Africa first, with the UAE as the first international market through dealer partnerships with Al Tayer Motors and Premier Motors; then right-hand-drive markets prioritising Australia and New Zealand; followed by European markets including Germany, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Spain, before the United Kingdom and Ireland. ⁵

Freelander has developed three international variants of the 8 — left-hand drive, right-hand drive and a European specification — with regional changes to meet local regulations and customer requirements, the company says. As reported by Autotalk, Australia and New Zealand have been identified as priority right-hand-drive markets, with specifications, pricing and detailed launch timing to be announced closer to arrival. ¹⁴

Freelander 8: international specification detailed

At a presentation in China, detailed in reporting by 7NEWS drawing on CarExpert material, Freelander outlined the engineering of its first SUV. The international left-hand-drive plug-in hybrid version combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine developed for hybrid applications with a dual-motor all-wheel drive system. Chery R&D Centre chief engineer Antonio Maresca quoted peak power of 460kW, torque of 662Nm and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds, with the engine claiming a 14:1 compression ratio and 45.95 per cent thermal efficiency. These figures apply to the left-hand-drive version and differ from those previously reported for the Chinese-market extended-range electric version, with Australian specification still to be confirmed. ²

A 34.12kWh lithium iron phosphate battery provides a claimed electric-only range of at least 110km on the WLTC cycle, with combined range quoted at least 886km, according to figures presented at the event. Freelander says DC charging from 20 to 80 per cent takes 20 minutes or less, though it has not disclosed a peak charging rate. Mr Maresca said development involved more than 1000 test vehicles across Northern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with Australian roads also part of the global testing program. ²

Dimensionally, the international Freelander 8 measures 5118mm long, 2050mm wide and 1926mm tall on a 3040mm wheelbase — 83mm longer, 54mm wider and 44mm lower than a Land Rover Defender 110, on an 18mm longer wheelbase, per the presentation figures reported by 7NEWS. Both five- and six-seat versions were shown, with the five-seat layout publicly displayed for the first time. ²

On the chassis side, the 8 uses dual-chamber air suspension with continuously controlled damping, able to raise the body by 70mm or lower it by 50mm, with maximum ground clearance quoted at 266mm. Freelander's terrain management offers nine modes, with a virtual centre differential lock, electronic limited-slip differential, claimed 800mm of cross-axle articulation, 35-degree slope climbing ability and a quoted 900mm maximum wading depth supported by a radar-based water-depth measuring system. More than 30 driver assistance functions were also presented, though Australian availability of these features remains to be confirmed. ²

Cabin technology and equipment

Inside, the Freelander 8 combines a full-width 46.3-inch Mini LED dashboard display — 1.2 metres wide, with 8K resolution and a claimed 1000-nit peak brightness — with a separate 15.6-inch central touchscreen and seven physical buttons plus two programmable ones, according to the 7NEWS presentation coverage. The computing hardware includes a Qualcomm SA8295P automotive processor, and Freelander announced a large-language-model-powered voice assistant. ²

Available equipment includes a Harman Kardon sound system with up to 23 speakers and a quoted 2620W output, ambient lighting with 256 colours across 22 zones, a 17.3-inch ceiling-mounted rear entertainment screen, and a 10-litre refrigerator that can cool to between minus 6 and 8 degrees Celsius or heat to between 35 and 50 degrees, maintaining temperature for up to 24 hours after switch-off, the company says. Seating options include sliding second-row 'zero-gravity' seats with a 10-point massage function, and a third row designed to accommodate adults with ventilation. ²

Brand background and what remains unknown for Australia

Freelander is being relaunched as a standalone brand through Chery Jaguar Land Rover, the 50:50 joint venture established in 2012 with a US$2.78 billion investment, as detailed by CarSauce. JLR licensed the Freelander name to the venture in June 2024. The name originated with the Land Rover Freelander, which debuted in 1997 as Land Rover's first monocoque SUV and was phased out in the mid-2010s, effectively replaced by the Discovery Sport, as GoAuto has reported. JLR owns the name and leads design through a dedicated Shanghai design hub, while Chery supplies technology and supply-chain support; the brand operates separately from Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar. ¹²³⁶

As Autotalk reported, automotive executive Kym Mellow has been appointed head of Freelander Australia and New Zealand, with responsibility for market entry, brand strategy, sales, marketing, aftersales and dealer network development, having previously held executive roles at Inchcape Australasia and Mazda Australia. "Freelander brings together JLR's British design and all-terrain heritage with the best of Chery's technology, scale and supply chain," Mellow said. Freelander plans to sell through established dealerships, with dealer appointments to be announced before launch and recruitment for senior positions under way. ⁴⁶

In China, the Freelander 8 went on sale and attracted more than 10,000 pre-orders within 48 hours, according to figures quoted by Autotalk and CarSauce. Freelander plans six models over five years, with the 8 its first. Australian pricing, specifications, equipment lists, warranty coverage and service requirements remain unannounced, and no launch quarter has been specified for the local rollout, CarExpert reports. ¹⁴⁶