Chery Relaunches Freelander: A New 3-Row Rugged SUV Heading for Australia

Chery has been one of the fastest-growing brands in Australia in recent years, including the launch of sub-brands such as Omoda Jaecoo, and has delivered popular cars such as the J5 electric SUV, which has taken the market by storm with 4,000-plus orders.

Now, the Chinese marque has revealed another brand, this time going after the rugged-looking SUV market with the name of Freelander and an upcoming production model called the Freelander 8.

The model was announced at Auto China 2026 in Beijing, and shown for the first time at the Cherry Group’s international business summit in Wuhu this week.

The design of the new model has been led by Phil Simmons, who has previously worked on Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Defender.

This has meant that the Freelander 8 brings British design language, along with modern tech-focused design cues.

Simmons elaborated on the design approach and the type of customers the brand is aiming for, by saying: “The opportunity with Freelander was to respect its heritage while making it relevant for modern customers.”

“That means clean, confident design paired with genuinely useful technology.”

Freelander 8 is positioned globally as an all-rounder, featuring its newly developed Intelligent All-Terrain System (i-ATS), which automatically adapts to changing surfaces.

Thanks to the system’s nine terrain modes, which work in tandem with the hardware it packs, including an electronic limited-slip diff, air suspension and virtual centre locking capability.

These features would be welcomed by Aussies looking to transition between suburban roads and light off-roading.

It will be available in BEV, EREV and PHEV powertrains, thanks to the all-new iMax architecture it’s built on.

On the tech front, the Freelander 8 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 cockpit chip with a 5 nm chip design for high-end computing power.

This will also power the Level 2+ ADAS system and Advanced Valet Parking Driver (VPD) feature available in selected markets. VPD in the Freelander 8 has yet to be confirmed for the Australian market, with more details expected closer to launch.

Styling-wise, the car sits on large wheels, and the massive three-row SUV design is expected to attract new customers to the brand, given its Land Rover heritage, which, as mentioned above, once included the Freelander name.

It carries over a few key design cues from the original model from the late 1990s, including the boxier, rugged look and the rear quarter window.

Along with that, it adds in a more modern, squared-off lighting design along with a bolder stance when on the road.

On the Inside, it packs plenty of space while bringing with it the brand’s latest tech, including a large LED screen.

According to the brand, the Freelander 8 is the first step in its global tech-focused strategy and will be produced at the Chery Jaguar Land Rover plant in Changshu, China.

This $1.5 billion USD plant is capable of producing over 200,000 cars per year and covers a total area of 840,000 square metres.

More details on the brand's Australian launch timing, model specs and pricing are expected to be announced closer to the model’s production later this year.