Freelander 8 is the FIRST model from Land Rover and Chery’s quest to revive the Freelander brand

The Freelander 8 is revealed as the first model from Chery and Land Rover’s Freelander revival, and it’s bigger than a Defender 110.

It’s not even been a month since the Freelander 97 Concept arrived as the first look at what the partnership between JLR and Chery is planning, and now we get the virtually production-ready version with the reveal of the Freelander 8 in Beijing.

With the Freelander 8, we get a toned-down version of the 97 Concept with different lights and normally-hinged doors and confirmation that the 8 is the top of the range offering – with another five Freelander SUVs planned in the next three years – and as such is a bit of a lump, and bigger than a Land Rover Defender 110.

The whole Freelander re-boot is leaning heavily on the Land Rover brand as it aims to establish itself, with the press release claiming:

Freelander is a British Premium Intelligent All-Terrain Brand – combining authentic British premium, leading intelligent technology, and professional all-terrain capability to deliver an all-scenario, high-quality mobility experience for contemporary explorers worldwide.

It also notes that the design of the 8 is headed up by Phil Simmons, who was deeply involved in the original Freelander design as well as the third-generation Range Rover.

The design may be ‘British’, but under the skin it’s Chinese tech doing the heavy lifting – and inside with much screenage – with an 800v architecture, EV, PHEV and range-extender powertrains, air suspension, electronic limited-slip diffs and LIDAR.

It’s not clear yet whether or not the Freelander 8 will be offered in the UK, or what it’ll mean for Land Rover sales if it is.