JLR and Chery will set the debut market of the new Freelander in the Middle East

【PCauto】JLR and Chery have opted to debut the reborn Freelander in the Middle East. This is noteworthy because, when the JLR-Chery collaboration was announced in 2024, the reborn Freelander was positioned as a new brand specifically for China's electric vehicle market. It was to leverage systems from both Chery and Jaguar Land Rover, be built on a Chery platform, and follow a China-first launch strategy ahead of a global rollout.

That plan has now been completely reversed. Clearly, the rationale extends beyond simply "better opportunities in the Middle East." Underlying this shift is significant market pressure on both Jaguar Land Rover and Chery.

Superficially, the Freelander's Middle Eastern debut can be framed as Chery fast-tracking its global expansion.

In reality, the Chinese automotive market has become increasingly hostile to new entrants over the past two years. The pace of change is relentless, prices are in a freefall, and the margin for error in public perception is virtually nil.

The Freelander, belonging neither to JLR's core families (Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, Jaguar) nor to Chery's established portfolio, finds itself with minimal room for trial and error in China.

Styling and tuning involved JLR's design team, yet its technical foundation remains Chery's E0X platform—the same underpinning models like the Exeed Sterra ES/ET.

The JLR team’s involvement was focused more on proportions, stance, and chassis tuning, rather than on revolutionary product engineering or expression.

The revived Freelander is positioned as a large SUV (around 5.1 meters long) with a 2+2+2 six-seat layout, offering both BEV and EREV powertrains. In China’s market, that formula translates to high cost, intense competition, and elevated risk.

Consequently, the Freelander can hardly be positioned as a "next-generation Range Rover" nor is it likely to enter China as a technology leader.

Therefore, the Freelander's strategy cannot be described as "serving China first, then radiating globally."

The logic for the Middle Eastern market, however, is entirely different.

Chery has been rapidly expanding its retail network in markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while Jaguar Land Rover maintains considerable brand prestige there.

To local consumers, the Freelander benefits from the halo effect of the JLR system, being perceived as a new luxury SUV from the storied brand.

Furthermore, EREV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) technology is a more comprehensible and acceptable solution in high-temperature regions with long-distance travel needs.

This arrangement affords JLR a low-risk avenue to explore electrification and new business models, without diluting the equity of its core luxury brands. In this light, the Freelander's Middle Eastern debut is a strategic sidestep, allowing both JLR and Chery to bypass the world's most cutthroat automotive arena.

Such collaborations—Volkswagen with Xpeng, Audi with SAIC—are becoming commonplace in China, collectively underscoring a troubling trend: traditional luxury marques are increasingly ceding control over defining core technologies.