JLR is bringing back the Freelander, but not for Canada.

　　The British automaker was at the Beijing Auto Show to officially blow the dust off the Freelander name, reborn as a new sub-brand for the firm. JLR is primarily targeting China for its new marque, but other markets may eventually be explored.

　　That said, theres no chance well be seeing the new Freelander sub-brand arrive on the North American continent.

　　Freelander 8: Number one in a series of six in five years

　　JLR plans to introduce no fewer than six models under the Freelander banner within the next five years. And it starts the ball rolling with the Freelander 8.

　　This large luxury SUV is based on the iMax platform, a new architecture that JLR says can be paired with various powertrain types. The electric version uses an 800V system.

　　There are evident similarities with vehicles in the Defender family, but the Freelander 8 is larger than the Defender 110. Notably, the manufacturer once again opted for a formula that is overall quite boxy.

　　For now, our only view of the new Freelander 8 is from the outside, JLR having shared no images of the interior as of yet. The company has also been stingy about revealing much of anything else about the Freelander 8. We can expect more in the coming months.

　　Back to the future

　　If the name Freelander sounds familiar, theres reason for that. Land Rover used the name for a adventure-minded small luxury SUV, launched in 1997 to coincide with the brands 50th anniversary. And in fact, the shape of the rear side window on the new Freelander 8 pays homage to that original model.

　　1997 Land Rover Freelander | Photo: Jaguar Land Rover