Shutting down rumours the Freelander 8 might be sold through Land Rover dealers, the Chery boss dismissed that idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be an independent [brand]. It will have an independent network,\u201d said Tongyue, with Freelander joining other Chery brands such as the previously announced Lepas and iCaur marques.<\/p>\n
That means future iCaur models will be sold, serviced and maintained via their own dealer network, even in smaller markets like New Zealand.<\/p>\n
While the Freelander 8 will go on sale in China in the second half of 2026, no timeframe for its rollout Down Under has been provided. However, it\u2019s widely expected right-hand-drive production could commence as early as 2027, suggesting the brand and the Freelander 8 could arrive shortly after.<\/p>\n
Designed to be a capable off-roader, the Freelander range will not be offered with pure combustion engines; instead, it will be available with either battery-electric power or Chery\u2019s latest range-extender hybrid systems.<\/p>\n
2027 Freelander 8.<\/p>\n
Full details of the Freelander 8\u2019s powertrains are yet to be confirmed, but it\u2019s understood the Toyota Prado-rivalling SUV will feature 800-volt electrical architecture for ultra-fast DC charging. Even range-extender versions are expected to rank among the fastest-charging hybrids available.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because it adopts CATL\u2019s latest Freevoy battery, which is capable of 6C charging and can handle peak charging rates of up to 360kW when paired with an EREV powertrain.<\/p>\n
As part of the joint venture with Chery, Land Rover was responsible for styling the Freelander 8 inside and out.<\/p>\n
It is also said to have played a role in tuning the chassis to ensure it delivers the off-road capability expected of the brand.<\/p>\n
New hardware aimed at boosting off-road performance includes an electronic limited-slip differential that works alongside a virtual central locking differential to maximise traction in all conditions.<\/p>\n
A height-adjustable dual-chamber air suspension system, meanwhile, provides the ground clearance required for more serious off-roading.<\/p>\n
Inside, the Freelander 8 features a BMW iX3-style curved display that stretches from pillar to pillar beneath the windscreen, complemented by a large, floating central infotainment touchscreen.<\/p>\n
Physical switches and a large rotary dial are also included, in part to address tightening safety regulations around driver distraction.<\/p>\n
![\"2027](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-84.jpeg\")
2027 Freelander 8.<\/p>\n
Designed with family buyers in mind, a 2+2+2 seating configuration will be standard, with the second row featuring a pair of Chery\u2019s \u2018zero-gravity\u2019 seats aimed at enhancing comfort.<\/p>\n
Other highlights include advanced headlamp technology with 8000-pixel projection lights, while Huawei\u2019s latest-generation roof-mounted 896 LiDAR system enables Level 2+ driver-assist functionality.<\/p>\n
According to Freelander, these autonomous driving systems will also be deployed off-road, using an array of sensors to prepare the all-wheel-drive system for changing terrain. The Freelander 8 will offer up to nine different driving modes, representing a significant evolution over Land Rover\u2019s current Terrain Response system.<\/p>\n
Already homologated for global markets, the Freelander 8 has been engineered to achieve a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, with a similarly strong result expected under ANCAP testing.<\/p>\n
In China, sales will begin in the second half of 2026, with production taking place at the Chery\u2013Land Rover factory in Changshu, near Shanghai.<\/p>\n
Positioned as a more rugged and capable alternative to the Denza B5 (priced from $74,990 to $79,990), the new Freelander is expected to undercut the combustion and hybrid Defender, which starts from $96,000 plus on-road costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a 25-year hiatus, the Freelander nameplate will soon return to Australia following the launch of an electrified…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":649565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[210419,64,63,314188,314189,44],"class_list":["post-649564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-210419","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-freelander","tag-freelander-8-revealed","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}