Last week’s reveal of the reinvented Freelander brand in China was quite intriguing, not only because it was done rather quietly and without prior notice, but also because it involved a popular entry-level Land Rover nameplate that is being brought back as something quite different from before.Since not much information transpired from the official event, we searched the web and came across a Chinese car influencer who not only attended the launch in Beijing but also got up close and personal with the Concept 97, the declaration of intent of the new Freelander brand.Hong-Kong based Telescope channel, which is founded and run by Sean, a former public relations employee for Nio, got unrestricted access to Freelander’s first-ever concept and the video is definitely worth a watch if you’re interested in what Chery and Jaguar Land Rover have in mind for the Freelander’s revival.New Freelander Mixes British Design With Chinese TechFor starters, Freelander will from now on be a standalone brand in its own right, similar to what JLR is doing with the Defender, Discovery and Range Rover brands as part of its “House of Brands” strategy announced in 2023.There’s an important distinction to be made here, though. While these three brands will still be under the corporate umbrella of JLR, the Freelander brand will be co-owned by Chinese automaker Chery Automobile and JLR under their Chery JLR Automotive joint venture and positioned as a premium technology EV brand.With that out of the way, the first impressions about the Freelander Concept 97 are really strong. Designed in Gaydon, England by a team of over 200 designers, Concept 97 recycles some of the original Freelander’s defining traits, but that’s about where all similarities end.This Thing Is Massive From a size and equipment perspective, the new Freelander is a massive SUV placed at the opposite end of the spectrum compared with the original Land Rover Freelander, which was an entry-level compact SUV.Built on Chery’s E0X next-generation modular platform, Concept 97 is over 200 inches long and has a wheelbase of over 118 inches. You get a sense of how big it really is when seeing it next to Sean, who is 5ft11 and needs to climb on the side steps to peek at the roof. You’ve probably noticed that many features of this concept are just for show, such as the suicide doors, the displays instead of headlights, the rear window replaced by a folding fabric, and the unusual seating arrangement with a lounge-style third-row sofa instead of actual seats.None of these features are going to make it to production, as spy shots have shown Freelander prototypes with regular doors, headlights, rear window, and normal three-row seating layout. That said, the production model may feature some exterior displays under the headlights as seen on this concept, although their purpose is as-yet-unknown.Concept Car Bits Aside, The Cabin Looks Nearly Production Ready Seating layout aside, the hi-tech interior looks quite production ready and features a low dashboard for great visibility and sense of space, adorned with a massive central display and a screen band in the background that spans the entire width of the dash. The infotainment system is expected to run the Qualcomm 8397 automotive chip, which is said to be three times more powerful than the current 8295 series. The good news is the main screen features a series of physical switches underneath, with physical buttons on the steering wheel and rotating controls on the center console as well. When the first Freelander reaches production, it will reportedly offer all-electric, range-extender and plug-in hybrid powertrains enabled by Chery’s 800-volt E0X architecture. Reports from China claim there will be a tri-motor EV model with a peak output of over 550 hp and an EREV version using a 1.5-liter turbocharged gas engine as a range extender.The battery packs will be supplied by industry leader CATL and will reportedly support 6C supercharging with a peak charging output of 360 kW. The SUV will also pack Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 4.1 ADAS suite, with test prototypes spotted featuring a LiDAR mounted above the windshield.The big Freelander launch model will only be the start of the new brand, as the company plans to launch a family of new models within five years, in key global markets. The debut takes place this year in China, where Chery JLR Automobile aims to set up a service network of 100 stores across 60 cities.