Jaguar Land Rover Exits the World’s Largest Car Market

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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is ending production of its own vehicles in China, the world’s biggest automotive market. Starting in 2026, the company will instead rebrand vehicles built on Chinese-made platforms under its own name. A smart move in this strategy is JLR’s revival of the Freelander nameplate—not as a standalone model, but as the brand identity for this new venture. The Freelander vehicles will be manufactured by Chery in China, utilizing the T1X platform, which JLR has been collaborating on since 2016.

China’s Price War Forces Industry Shakeup

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to halt production of its Chinese-made models by September, with Land Rover following suit by discontinuing the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport by the end of 2025. This shift comes amid intense price competition in China’s crowded automotive market, where numerous brands and sub-brands compete fiercely by sharing platforms capable of supporting various vehicle types.

The ongoing price war appears to be driving prices down to unsustainable levels for some segments, prompting JLR to adjust its strategy. However, the premium end of the market remains viable—JLR plans to continue exporting larger models like the full-sized Range Rover and Defender to Chinese consumers, focusing on segments less affected by the cutthroat pricing battle.

The concept of using Freelander as a standalone brand has been in development for some time, with upcoming models set to be plug-in hybrids tailored exclusively for the Chinese market. For global automakers, competing in China is becoming increasingly challenging. This difficulty is unlikely to ease given the country’s authoritarian government, strong presence of state-owned automakers, focus on protectionist policies, and a history of overlooking copyright violations.

Freelander Could Eventually Go Global

For now, the Freelander brand is set to remain exclusive to China. JLR’s CFO, Richard Molyneux, explains that the brand is being crafted with specifically “Chinese attributes,” “Chinese costs,” and is designed to perfectly suit the Chinese market.

That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if JLR eventually expands Freelander into a global lineup of smaller, more affordable vehicles to complement its established luxury models. The company has been promoting its “House of Brands” strategy, which treats Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery as separate brands rather than just individual models—hinting at the possibility that Freelander could join this group on a broader scale in the future.

The “House of Brands” concept might come across as eye-roll inducing at best, or downright cynical at worst. Still, launching Freelander as a genuine sub-brand focused on small SUVs could be a smart move. This approach would keep the Land Rover name prestigious and exclusive while broadening the customer base with more accessible entry-level vehicles.

That said, JLR’s track record of unpredictable decisions and its tendency to invest heavily in marketing and advertising agencies rather than strengthening its core identity leaves the outcome uncertain. How this strategy will actually unfold remains to be seen.