Electric power will also feature heavily thanks to the set-up’s 34kWh battery. In the Omoda 9, this gives a claimed electric range of 93 miles, something the Freelander could even exceed, given its more slippery shape.
After the plug-in hybrid, REx and fully electric powertrains will arrive.
RExs are the latest spin on hybrid cars, whereby a combustion engine acts as a generator to power the electric motor or top up the battery, rather than driving the wheels.
The powertrain’s popularity is surging (sales doubling year on year) in China – one of JLR’s biggest markets that it is trying to rebuild after a tough 2024. As such, Chery’s REx technology is likely to have been particularly attractive to JLR when the deal was brokered.
European manufacturers such as Volkswagen have also confirmed plans to launch their own REx models in Europe.
As for the first pure-electric Freelander, its tech make-up remains a mystery. Currently, Chery sells only two EVs and its newer model is the Omoda E5, which is sold in the UK. A platform-mate to the Freelander, it draws power from a 61kWh BYD Blade battery, offers a WLTP range of 257 miles and uses a single 204bhp motor.
However, when the Freelander EV finally arrives later this decade, more advanced technology is expected to be available, giving it more range and more power. That will be needed, because the Freelander is expected to be priced at almost double the E5’s £25,000.