The ‘8’ is the first of five impending sport utilities from a partnership between Chery and JLR.

ONCE a Land Rover, now a bespoke car brand in its own right - that in a nutshell is what has become Freelander, which has just shown off its first vehicle destined for production.

The ‘8’ is a large electric four-by-four set to hit Chinese roads later this year.

The first progeny of a new brand created in partnership between Chinese giant Chery and JLR, aka Jaguar Land Rover, as revealed at the Beijing motor show is a bit different to a design study shown several weeks ago and will change again, but this time only minimally, before it hits the showroom.

The website for Autocar, the UK publication that has been most closely following the car’s gestation, says the most significant differences from the preceding Concept97 that was shown on April 8 are in the front and rear lights, while the rear-hinged back doors have been swapped for more conventional front-hinged items.

The 8 is based on an 800V electrical architecture and will offer a choice of electric, range-extender and plug-in hybrid powertrains, with charging rates maxing out at 350kW.

It has twin-chamber air suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential and an all-terrain function that, supported by the roof-mounted lidar sensor, reads changes in the road surface and automatically engages the appropriate drive mode.

Inside, a large display spans across the width of the dashboard, supported by a traditional centrally mounted infotainment touchscreen and a row of physical buttons.

Autocar says that although the Freelander 8 will initially be launched in China, Chery has already confirmed plans for expansion into other global markets, including in Europe – and a right-hand-drive variant is in the works.

It remains to be seen when it will be put on sale outside of China and by whom. Within than market it will be offered by Chery through a network of Freelander-specific showrooms.

The car does not carry Chery or Land Rover badging.

The original Freelander was a landmark car for Land Rover but disappeared more than a decade ago, having gone through two generations.

The new nameplate will represent across five SUVs to launch in the next five years as part of a Anglo-Sino partnership.