Confirmed: Electrified Freelander 8 locked and loaded for Australia. Coming to fight Denza B5, Toyota Prado and Ford Everest
After a 25-year hiatus, the Freelander nameplate will soon return to Australia following the launch of an electrified Toyota LandCruiser Prado rival at the recent Beijing motor show.
Following confirmation the all-new Land Rover–Chery-developed SUV would be available in right-hand drive, Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Auto, told assembled Australian media the new Freelander 8 would make it Down Under as the first of six rugged SUVs to be launched over the next five years.
“The Freelander will be introduced to Australia and New Zealand,” Chery’s boss said at a roundtable event.
Shutting down rumours the Freelander 8 might be sold through Land Rover dealers, the Chery boss dismissed that idea.
“It will be an independent [brand]. It will have an independent network,” said Tongyue, with Freelander joining other Chery brands such as the previously announced Lepas and iCaur marques.
That means future iCaur models will be sold, serviced and maintained via their own dealer network, even in smaller markets like New Zealand.
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’s widely expected right-hand-drive production could commence as early as 2027, suggesting the brand and the Freelander 8 could arrive shortly after.
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’s latest range-extender hybrid systems.
Full details of the Freelander 8’s powertrains are yet to be confirmed, but it’s 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.
That’s because it adopts CATL’s 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.
As part of the joint venture with Chery, Land Rover was responsible for styling the Freelander 8 inside and out.
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.
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.
A height-adjustable dual-chamber air suspension system, meanwhile, provides the ground clearance required for more serious off-roading.
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.
Physical switches and a large rotary dial are also included, in part to address tightening safety regulations around driver distraction.
Designed with family buyers in mind, a 2+2+2 seating configuration will be standard, with the second row featuring a pair of Chery’s ‘zero-gravity’ seats aimed at enhancing comfort.
Other highlights include advanced headlamp technology with 8000-pixel projection lights, while Huawei’s latest-generation roof-mounted 896 LiDAR system enables Level 2+ driver-assist functionality.
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’s current Terrain Response system.
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.
In China, sales will begin in the second half of 2026, with production taking place at the Chery–Land Rover factory in Changshu, near Shanghai.
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.
