Jaguar Land Rover partners with Chery to build Freelander-branded electric cars on Chery’s E0X architecture. After the rebirth, Freelander will offer a range of China-made electric cars for sale domestically. Later, the Freelander brand will go global.
Previously, Chery officially confirmed that Jaguar Land Rover would adopt its E0X and M3X platforms to build PHEV and BEV models. It is a consequence of the 12-year friendship between JLR and Chery. In 2012, these companies formed a joint venture called Chery Jaguar Land Rover (CJLR). The CJLR plant started operating in 2014.
In the last 12 years, Jaguar Land Rover helped Chery with the suspension setup and styling tips. Moreover, Chery’s Torque Vectoring system, which is used in the Jaecoo J8 SUV for international markets, also derives from JLR’s well-known AWD system. However, JLR lags behind the industry trend for BEVs. So, now it’s Chery’s turn to help the Tata-owned automaker.
Freelander from Chery Jaguar Land Rover
On June 19, JLR reported it signed a Letter of Intent with Chery to strengthen CJLR’s product offer in China. This includes creating the EV brand Freelander. This brand’s cars will stand on Chery’s E0X modular architecture. The same chassis underpins Exlantix ES, Exlantix ET, Luxeed S7, and Luxeed R7 cars.
The E0X architecture supports the 800V high-voltage system, air suspension, and L3 driving assist system. Its another benefit is the low energy consumption of 12 kWh/100km. Worth noting that aside of battery electric vehicles, the E0X platform can also underpin EREVs (range extenders). For an example, the E0X-based Exlantix ET crossover (see specs) is available in EV and EREV variants.
“Today we are taking this important strategic step for JLR, one which underlines our ongoing commitment to China and complements our existing business in China. We believe that working together to develop new models of collaboration for the world’s largest and fastest-growing electric vehicle market, combined with the appeal of the Freelander brand, promises a very exciting future for CJLR”
Adrian Mardell, JLR’s CEO
We will remind some novices here that the Freelander was an SUV produced between 1997 and 2015. In 2016, this model was succeeded by Land Rover Discovery Sport. Nowadays, the reborn Freelander from CJLR will offer a range of mainstream electric vehicles. They will initially sell in China, but over time, Freelander cars will also launch globally.
Previously, Chery’s Chairman Yin Tongyao said Jaguar Land Rover cars will also use the M3X architecture that underpins Exeed RX (see specs) and Chery Fulwin T9 (see specs). They will be equipped with Chery’s hybrid system, which has 11 gear combinations, over 1000 km range, and a thermal efficiency of 44.5%.
CarNewsChina reported Jaguar Land Rover isn’t the only automaker to adopt Chinese modular architectures to build NEVs. It is a growing trend among lots of automakers. For clarity, Mitsubishi Airtrek adopts GAC’s GEP; Smart and Lotus EVs are underpinned by Geely’s SEA; Renault cars will adopt Geely’s CMA; Volkswagen agreed to use E/E platform from Xpeng; future Audi vehicles will be underpinned by iO Origin platform from SAIC.
Source: JLR
