Land Rover to Redesign Freelander for 2007

The chassis, which features 'control-blade' multi-link rear suspension and electro-mechanical steering, has won praise around

Land Rover is rumoured to be sharing development and engineering duties with fellow Premium Auto Group member, Volvo. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

the globe, and should turn the Freelander into a top-notch on-road machine.

But there's more. In order to reduce overall costs, Land Rover is rumoured to be sharing development and engineering duties with fellow Premium Auto Group member, Volvo. As with many Ford products and concepts, including the new Land Rover LR3, Ford Five Hundred/Montego, Ford Freestyle and Mercury Meta One concept, Volvo will most likely contribute its state-of-the-art aerodynamics and bodywork facilities, and its safety expertise.

Volvo's Freelander spin-off will most likely be called the XC50, rounding out the current 'Cross Country' range which consists of the XC70 wagon and its first SUV, the XC90.

In terms of drivetrains, the Freelander will most likely get four- and six-cylinder gasoline powerplants derived from Mazda's 150-horsepower 2.3L inline-four and Ford's

Industry analysts and insiders suggest that the next-generation Freelander will make its debut sometime in late 2005. (Photo: Land Rover)

2.5L and 3.0L V6s. The Volvo will probably feature naturally aspirated and turbocharged variants of its 2.3L and 2.4L inline-five powerplants.

Although official word has yet to be released, industry analysts and insiders suggest that the next-generation Freelander will make its debut sometime in late 2005, perhaps at the Paris Motor Show, or the 2006 Detroit Motor Show.

Given six month's time to retool factories and raise awareness, it would be logical to conclude the Freelander Mk.II would be on the world's roads by 2006, possibly as a 2007 model. The Volvo XC50 would most likely follow the Land Rover one year later.