The Land Rover Freelander was last seen in the 1990s and while it was a sales hit for the company, the Freelander also reflected some of the struggles Land Rover was experiencing with reliability problems and the indirect loss of engines from the death of MG Rover Group forcing LR to end production (the LR2 replaced it later before it too was axed.)

But now Land Rover is dusting off the Freelander nameplate again with the company and Chinese automaker Chery collaborating together to produce the all-new Freelander 8.

First in a new series of models

The Freelander 8 (we’re not really sure where the 8 portion comes from) is the first model to emerge from the collaboration between Land Rover and Chery, and the two say the Freelander 8’s platform can accomdate a wide range of drivetrain types including plug-in hybrid, range-extended EV, and EV setups

But while the platform is as flexible as the Swiss Army Knife you might have on your keychain, the exterior styling maintains the boxy look that has come to define modern Land Rover offerings. It even includes some elements of the original Freelander with the rear in particular taking a few pieces from the original (though sadly there’s no externally mounted spare tire.)

The front end gets squared-off headlights but the closed off grille panel suggests we could be either looking at an electrified example versus a PHEV model. Land Rover also chose to not reveal pictures of the interior but look for the Freelander 8 to potentially take some pieces from the Defender albeit with some design tweaks to help it comply with some of the new tech that has been seeping into the lineup.

What’s next?

The Freelander 8 may be making its initial debut in China but JLR and Chery have plans to offer it in additional markets over the next few years. This strong push is needed since the collaboration will spawn six new models and they will all be SUVs. With all the time and development the two put into this new family of “New Energy” vehicles the two would like to see a significant return on their investment.

The Freelander 8 will also come at a time when JLR need the Land Rover brand to carry more of the weight when it comes to sales. With Jaguar embarking on a controversial reboot plan that saw the brand can its entire lineup for a risky bid to enter the ultra-luxury market, and rumored EV delays Land Rover needs vehicles that can make up for the gap in sales and models like the Freelander 8 will help in these endeavors.