Indian Autos blog

The Land Rover Freelander 2 is celebrating yet another milestone today. The SUV model which donated its platform for the Evoque, a runaway hit, is no slow-seller itself as it surpassed 300k units at the Halewood production lines.

For the Indian market’s consumption the Freelander 2 is assembled at Tata’s refurbished assembly line in Chikhli, Pune. The Freelander was relaunched in India last year and has been contributing in little amounts to JLR’s overall volume in India.

It is almost a year now since Land Rover began assembly of the Freelander 2 in Pune. Priced at under 40 lakh rupees, the Freelander 2 is a good alternative to the X3 and Q5. A little while after the first anniversary of the locally assembled Freelander2 is celebrated, the model may go under the scalpel.

Left – The current model; Right – The facelift has redesigned lights, chrome surround on the fog light and new grille bordering.

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Update – Prices listed are ex-showroom and not on-road as previously understood.

The facelifted Land Rover Freelander 2 has reached certain JLR outlets in India. One IAB reader wrote in to us along with these snaps taken at a dealership that serves as concrete evidence to the claim. We’re not entirely sure of the next fact – these are locally made Freelanders rolled out from the Tata’ revamped Chikhli facility in Pune.

The Freelander 2 has been runaway success with over 200,000 of them shifted in less than four years. The Freelander 2 went into production in 2006.

Back in the first week of March, a top Tata official said the plant, previously used by Mercedes Benz, will push out 2,000 units a year. The reader adds that two variants are on sale for about 35 lakh and 39 lakh rupees (ex-showroom) in certain parts of North India. There is no official word from Tata Motors except for a promise that the Freelander 2 will be assembled in India this year.

The facelifted Freelander 2 has minor cosmetic changes to its front fascia. A new grille, reworked bumper, altered fog lamps and air intakes are the only changes on the 2011 model shown above. Indian Autos Blog brought leaked brochure shots of the 2011 model back in July last year and speculated if it was indeed the model that would be assembled in India this year.

This Monday British automaker Land Rover announced that its baby SUV Freelander has completed 250,000 units in manufacturing, a feat achieved only in its 4th year of mass production. The 250,000th model is 2.2l TD4 Diesel GS, painted in Fuji White, and will be shipped to its owner in Scotland. Richard Else, Halewood operations director- This milestone achievement and the increasing sales for Freelander 2 highlights just how important this  [ Read More ]

Hoping to cash-in on the new budget reforms, Tata Motors has decided to assemble its Freelander SUV in India. Earlier, the so called ‘Baby Landrover’ was imported in form of a CBU to India. But now Tata Motors will import CKD units from JLR and assemble them at their Chikhli plant near Pune. Tata Motors MD and CEO Carl Peter Forster – The local assembly will start later this year,  [ Read More ]

It is learnt today that Tata Motors will assemble Land Rover models at its Chikhli facility in Maharashtra in the next few months. The Freelander 2 will be the first model to roll out of the assembly line, which was leased out to Mercedes Benz previously.

Currently undergoing maintenance to prepare it for the shifts, the Chikhli facility over the next few months will see machinery installation for the assembly of the Freelander 2. There is no word on localization yet, Tata Motors could look up to its wide vendor base to source minor electrical and electronic components locally.

Wheelosphere reports that the Freelander 2 will be assembled starting this November. The Land Rover Freelander 2 is the cheapest model in the LR range.

The Freelander 2 has been a very profitable model for Land Rover with sales reaching 200,000 units since its introduction.

The Chikhli facility has a capacity to produce 3,500 units in a year working on a single shift. We don’t think JLR will stop with the Freelander. Many of its models, over time, should reach the Chikhli facility as kits from Britain.

The Freelander 2 currently in the CBU form costs Rs 33.79 lakhs (Ex-showroom Mumbai) and assembling it locally could reduce its price by 5-10 lakh rupees.

The 2011 year model was unveiled (pictured) listing a new 2.2-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine capable of generating either 148 horsepower (110 kW, 150 PS), or 187 horsepower (140 kW, 190 PS). This could be the best bet for the Indian market.

As a part of its expansion exercise, JLR will increase dealership count from three to seven in the 2010-11 period.

Land Rover celebrated a production milestone, as the 200,000th example of the Freelander 2 rolled out of the company’s Halewood facility in Liverpool. It has taken Land Rover three years to achieve this feat.

The Freelander 2 was launched in India last September at an ex-showroom price of 33.79 lakh rupees in Mumbai.

The vehicle, though being an SUV with a high displacement engine still carries eco-friendly technology like start-stop and a diesel engine. The TD4_e model is more fuel efficient and emits fewer carbon dioxide.

Michael Straughan, Halewood Operations Director -

This achievement is thanks to the Halewood workforce, who have continuously driven improvements since the launch of Freelander 2 to maximize customer satisfaction. I’d like to congratulate the Halewood workforce on this team achievement

Land Rover is preparing to go hybrid with the diesel-hybrid LRX model that’s scheduled for a 2011 debut.

If you can’t view the slideshow above, visit the Land Rover Freelander 2 Image Gallery directly