The Freelander 8 First Edition has made its official debut at an event in China. The new SUV took part in a parade as part of the theatre festival in Aranya, near Qinhuangdao in the northeast of the country. 

It’s the first time the Freelander 8 has been seen out in public, and while the crowds look like they were mostly excited just to be there, they could also have been thrilled to see this new 1990s Land Rover Freelander-inspired car making its debut. 

The Aranya theatre festival is described as an “immersive cultural landscape”, taking over a bougie seaside town and focusing mostly on the creative arts. It would be like dropping the next generation Nissan Qashqai on to the Global Stage at the Hay festival. 

The launch edition of the car features an electric range extender powertrain, which means that it runs primarily on electric power but has a petrol engine that can charge the battery on the go. It is set to come in fetching shades of silver, yellow and purple as well as a more traditional black.

The car is about to go on sale priced from 300,000 yuan in China, which is the equivalent of £33,000 or $44,000 and cheaper than the Range Rover Evoque in the country. 

What else do we know about the new car? The Freelander 8 is 5,118mm long, 2,050mm wide and 1,898 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,040mm and a six-seat 2+2+2 layout inside. The REV version is also apparently rated to tow up to 2,000kg.

The 8 is powered by two e-motors producing 560hp between them, with a 60kWh battery that makes for an electric range of 137 miles (221km). Thanks to 800V tech the car can recharge at up to 350kW, and there’s also the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that doesn’t drive the wheels but acts as a generator.  

It’s a big old beast – regulatory filings with the Chinese authorities show that the car weighs nearly 3.5 tonnes and comes with a variety of mechanical and electronic differential locks for maximum off-road ability. 

That ability will be helped by the Huawei tech and Snapdragon chip that power the electronics, which includes air suspension and a predictive all-terrain system that manages the 4x4 system, as well as the interior infotainment setup. 

The Freelander 8 First Edition comes in three trim levels – Pro, Max and Max+ – and PHEV and full electric versions of the car are expected to arrive soon.

The 8 is the first of six new models that will be launched by Freelander in the coming years, aimed at the Chinese, Middle Eastern and European markets – including the UK. 

Meanwhile Jaguar Land Rover, which is a partner with Chinese carmaker Chery in the Freelander initiative but in practice doesn't have much to do with it, has announced a renewed focus on the US market, pinning its hopes on big growth there.