Jaguar Land Rover to cease vehicle production in China

JLR might still export the full-sized Range Rover and Defender models to China.

Jaguar Land Rover will be ceasing production of its vehicles in China. Instead, it will brand Chinese-made platforms under its own name from 2026.

The other news is that JLR is bringing back the Freelander SUV, but as a brand name for the venture with China. The Freelander vehicles will be built by Chery in China on the T1X platform, which JLR has been involved in the development of, since 2016.

Jaguar will cease production of its Chinese models by September, and Land Rover will end production of the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport by the end of 2025. The reason for this decision is attributed to price wars and competition from brands and sub-brands using platforms designed to build multiple types of vehicles. That said, JLR might still export the full-sized Range Rover and Defender models to China.

For now, the Freelander brand will be China-only. According to JLR's CFO, Richard Molyneux, it's being put together with “Chinese attributes,” “Chinese costs,” and is “perfect for the Chinese market." However, we wouldn't put it past JLR to use the Freelander brand to build a range of smaller, global vehicles to go with its large and expensive luxury models. “

The Freelander models will be plug-in hybrids and will be made exclusively for the Chinese market. Just like how JLR’s “House of Brands organization," identifies Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery as individual brands rather than models, Freelander could also establish itself as a sub-brand to build smaller, more affordable SUVs.

Source: Car Buzz