A decade after it ceased production of the Freelander, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc is reviving the four-wheel-drive SUV as an electric vehicle made and sold in China.
Jaguar Land Rover and China’s Chery Automobile Co. signed a letter of intent to license the Freelander brand in order to create a new lineup of EVs, the companies said in a statement Wednesday. Manufacturing will be run by CJLR, the automakers’ 50-50 joint venture, using Chery’s production facilities and components.
Jaguar Land Rover is seeking to gain share in the world’s biggest auto market, where homegrown companies like BYD Co. and Great Wall Motor Co. are rolling out novel-featured electric and hybrid vehicles to cater to increasingly outdoorsy consumers. Manufacturing the Freelander as an EV is also set to help the push by parent Tata Motors Ltd. for its electric business to start turning profits.
The Freelander will be made in Changshu and released to the Chinese market first, with plans to export globally in the future. The CJLR joint venture, which has been in place since 2012, will continue to make a range of gasoline vehicles.
The companies didn’t say when production of the Freelander will start. The model was discontinued in 2015 and succeeded by the Discovery Sport.