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Freelander name making jump from old Land Rover model to new EV brand

The Jaguar Land Rover House of Brands is about to grow by one. JLR signed a Letter of Intent to license a new brand called Freelander to its Chinese joint-venture partner of 12 years, Chery. For those who missed it, Land Rover sold a compact four-wheel-drive model called the Freelander or LR2, depending on market and generation, from 1997 to 2015. The Freelander didn't get the best press, but that didn't stop it from being popular because, before the Evoque, it was the least expensive way to get into something bearing the green oval. The moniker's rebirth will also apply to "mainstream" products, this time pure-electric vehicles outside of JLR's or Chery's current lineups. What's more, the Freelander range won't be limited to China, although JLR wouldn't say how long it would be before international markets could expect Freelander arrival.  They new cars will be designed by teams from both automakers and sit on Chery's E0X battery-electric architecture. Car News China reports that the E0X can support an 800-volt architecture, Level 3 autonomous driving, and air suspension setups. The platform also plays nice with range-extended EVs, a powertrain type enjoying the same upswing in popularity over there as in other markets. Autocar writes that extended-range EV sales from January 2023 to September 2023 rose 157% over the same span in 2022. Chery's Luxeed R7, above, sits on E0X bones. The Luxeed R7 EV comes in single- and dual-motor variants from 288 horsepower to 489 hp, and offers a maximum range of 531 miles on the Chinese cycle. Previous to this new announcement, Chery said it would also share its M3X platform with the Chery Jaguar Land Rover collaboration, the vehicle structure said to have been developed with Magna International. The M3X is suited to internal combustion and PHEV powertrains. JLR's press release specifies that for now, Freelander will be "an advanced portfolio of electric vehicles," so it's possible future Freelanders will expand powertrain options once the electric lineup gains momentum, or the M3X might be applied to a different set of products.

2021 Jaguar I-Pace updates include better infotainment, faster charging

Jaguar grabbed an armful of features from the JLR corporate store to improve the 2021 I-Pace, including bits from Land Rover and more technology from the brand's Formula E campaign. Restrained exterior mods start with Atlas Grey tips on the grille mesh, three new color choices in Caldera Red, Portofino Blue, and Eiger Grey, new wheel designs, and 19-inch wheels replacing the 18-inchers on the base-model S. An optional Bright Pack affixes a chrome grille surround, satin chrome window surrounds, and splashes of Atlas Grey on the mirror caps and rear diffuser. The optional Black Pack claims more real estate, painting the rear badges in gloss black. A 3D surround camera system is standard for 2021. Even more ease for drivers comes with the ClearSight digital rear-view mirror that debuted on the latest Range Rover Evoque. A rear-facing, wide-angle camera mounted in the infotainment system's roof antenna can sends images to the inside mirror with the flick of a toggle.  The biggest convenience addition is the Pivi Pro infotainment system that arrived with the new Land Rover Defender, replacing the Touch Pro Duo unit. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster pairs with the carryover 10-inch upper and five-inch lower instrument panel screens. Intended to reproduce the smartphone experience on larger screens, a backup battery gets the navigation initialized quickly, and zooming needs no more than a finger pinch. The "flat" menu structure puts oft-used functions on the home screen, and cuts in half the steps required to input a destination compared to the Touch Pro Duo. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard, as does 4G data enabling live traffic, in-unit Spotify and other listening apps, and swift over-the-air updates. Wireless phone charging with signal boost is optional. On top of Pivi's algorithms to learn the best routing and stay quiet during parts of a route that the I-Pace travels regularly (why don't more systems do this?), the 4G support means continuously updated info on EV chargers along the route. Which brings us to hardware and software changes in the powertrain, courtesy of Formula E. Its 394 horsepower and 234 miles of range are unchanged, but the ease of getting that range does. Instead of the 7-kW, two-phase onboard charger, the 2021 I-Pace packs an 11-kW, three-phase charger. Plugged into an 11-kW wall box charger, range grows by 33 miles every hour, compared to 22 miles every hour with the 7-kW system.

Jaguar planning all-electric E-Pace crossover

Jaguar hasn't quite finished rolling out the new F-Pace (pictured above), and already reports are circulating of another crossover model to join it in the near future. According to Automobile, it'll be called the E-Pace. Here's the kicker: it'll be all-electric. The E-Pace would take advantage of ultra-efficient aerodynamics in order to drop its drag coefficient to just 0.28 g, thereby increasing efficiency. It'd also be the first fully electric model from Jaguar, and would likely be even smaller than the sporty new F-Pace. Through-the-road all-wheel drive would give it poor weather traction, and the electric motors would provide plenty of low-end punch. The model would go up against the Tesla Model X and a potential production version of the Audi E-Tron Quattro concept revealed in Frankfurt. Rather than handle production in-house, the E-Pace could emerge as the mysterious upcoming model which Jaguar Land Rover is planning to have Magna Steyr build on its behalf. The factory in Graz, Austria has long built the G-Class for Mercedes-Benz, continues to assemble the Mini Countryman, and has also handled models like the Aston Martin Rapide and BMW X3. Automobile figures that Jaguar would need to make at least 20,000 units each year to make the model profitable. For comparison's sake, Tesla is projected to move about 33,000 Model S units in 2015. Even if the E-Pace falls short of this target, the project could be worthwhile for JLR purely for publicity purposes and to help cut its average fleet emissions. Related Video: