Jake Groves is CAR’s News Editor, and has been part of the CAR team since April 2017.
► ‘Concept 97’ model previews family of SUVsThis is our official look at Freelander. No, not the name of a new Land Rover, but a brand name that kicks off a family of new SUVs that will launch in China first, with market expansion including Europe in the years to come.
The Freelander marque sits underneath the Chery Jaguar Land Rover brand in China and will leverage some of Chery’s hybrid and battery-electric powertrain technology as well as design expertise from Land Rover. Our first design glimpse comes via this: the Concept 97. It’s a boxy early preview of the design details and intentions the Freelander brand wants to roll out, with Phil Simmons, head of the Freelander design hub, describing during the brand launch that the new group of Freelander cars will be heavily inspired by the look of the original. Certain exterior details from that original include chunky shoulders with a strong beltline, a triangular C-pillar window and familiar-looking headlight designs compared to the original. Inside, the Concept 97 features details like flexible seats, crystal rotary controllers and chunky structuring. As for the tech beneath, Freelander executives have confirmed an 800-volt platform that can run battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and range extender powertrains. More will be revealed from the Freelander brand in June. The first production model will likely be a three-row SUV, with the plan to unveil the full series of models over the next five years.Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
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