Nearly 12 years because it left us, the Freelander name is back on a automotive – but it surely’s not a Land Rover. As a substitute, Chery has licenced the moniker from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on a brand new electrified brand to affix its myriad of other marques. That is the primary fruit of the Chinese giant’s labour, the Concept 97, referencing the debut of the much-loved original baby LR in 1997.
But there’s nothing baby about this Freelander, since it has grown right into a full-sized SUV with three rows of seats. That much is reflected within the rectilinear styling, which is more akin to the Discovery 3 – one other iconic “modern” Land Rover.
Still, the design does carry a couple of references to the seminal L314, most notably the split triangular rear three-quarter windows from the three-door cabriolet. In truth, the brand’s logo is made up of those triangles that represent “FL”, although the front and rear fascias as a substitute have the Freelander script stamped on.
The minimalist face draws more cues from past Land Rovers, including interlocking rectangular headlights connected to black bars that go all the best way down the bumper. From the looks of it, these actually house large displays that allow for customised lighting signatures; don’t expect these to make it to production, in fact. The displays frame a silver section that stretches from the bonnet to the underside, with little in the best way of cooling openings and yet more triangular panels at the underside.
Along the side, the Concept 97 incorporates a strong stance due to square, almost Volvo-like shoulders and outstanding wheel arch flares. The doors, which reach all of the approach to the roof, are suicide units that, along with the dearth of B-pillar, provide uninterrupted access to the cabin. Nevertheless, we already know the finalised version won’t have these, on condition that crash-tested prototypes were recently spotted with normal doors. The rear end carries slim horizontal taillights and a silver finish again for the tailgate and bumper.
Step inside and also you’ll find an cabin unlike any Land Rover (or any Chery, for that matter). The minimalist is about low, framed by a wraparound display that stretches from pillar to pillar – mimicking BMW’s novel Panoramic Vision setup without the expensive projection technology.
You furthermore mght get a big floating infotainment touchscreen underlined by physical controls, sitting above a centre console “bridge”. The plush seats, upholstered in blue and white woven fabric, are akin to lounge chairs, with the motive force sitting behind and oblong steering wheel.
The Concept 97 carries six seats, with the second row featuring captain’s chairs and one other substantial centre console. The third row, then again, is formed by a wraparound backrest and wide headrests; good luck getting these to fold down. Freelander says the automotive also incorporates a retractable cloth roof and rear window – one other cue it has taken from that three-door cabrio.
“The brand new Freelander brand world and Concept 97 show automotive reveal a daring and individual approach to design which, combined with revolutionary Chinese technology, is meant to make customers fall in love with the Freelander brand,” said design hub director Phil Simmons. “Concept 97 is designed for the urban outdoors, retaining an off-road spirit while embracing city life. It celebrates freedom, individuality and joy.”
In line with Autohome, all latest Freelander models will feature Qualcomm’s latest flagship-level Snapdragon 8397 chip, offering 3 times CPU computing power, nearly 3 times the GPU computing power, and twelve times the AI computing power of the previous 8295 processor.
They may also be juiced by CATL batteries and are available with Huawei’s Qiankun autonomous driving capability, working in concert with a lidar sensor; the latter will almost definitely be exclusive to China. Unlike what was previously disclosed, Freelander will ditch Chery’s existing platforms in favour of a brand latest architecture.
The cars shall be built at Chery Jaguar Land Rover’s (CJLR) Intelligent Manufacturing Base in Changshu, where a complete of three billion yuan (RM1.76 billion) has been invested for EV production. The brand is about to launch an entire family of models inside the following five years and shall be offered in key global markets. It’s been reported there shall be six latest cars that may also include range extender EVs and plug-in hybrids.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
