Land Rover Freelander SE3
The Rover Group conducted market research in the late 1980s, which suggested that they could enter the compact SUV market segment. To develop this project, codenamed the CB40 (after the Canley Building 40 where it was initially developed), they chose to work independently instead of partnering up with Honda who went on to launch their own CR-V in 1997. When BMW purchased Rover Group in 1994, the CB40 received the capital it needed to go into production. Reports have even indicated that early development of the Freelander featured Hyundai badging, suggesting that a partnership was being proposed. The Freelander was designed by Gerry McGovern, who later went on to become the Head of Design for Land Rover in 2007. Initially, Rover was going to outsource they production of the Freelander to Valmet, however, BMW put a stop to this and allocated funding for production facilities at Solihull. The Freelander went into production in October 1997, where it quickly became Europe's best-selling four-wheel-drive model until 2002. It was sold as a 2005 model in North America.
Model variations included five-door estate and three-door softback, hardback, and commercial versions. In 2004, Land Rover upgraded the Mark I with a new interior as well as major external modifications which included a new face and rear.
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