We heard the first inklings of this at the recent Geneva Motor Show, but Land Rover has now confirmed what has been long suspected - that the Discovery will evolve from a single model into a Range Rover-like family of vehicles. The first hint towards that family will be shown in concept form at the upcoming New York Auto Show as the Discovery Vision Concept, and Land Rover is giving us a little tease with these first sketches and images.
What we can see so far is a car that keeps the Discovery's traditional bluff-faced, high-roof layout, but in a much sleeker and more aerodynamic form. The interior, from the heavily cropped shot we've seen so far, seems quite minimalist compared to what you get in a Range Rover, but still relatively luxurious. Those hoping for a return to the 2004 Discovery III's military-grade cabin will likely be disappointed; the new Discos are going to be about high-tech premium features as much as they are mud and wellies.
The new cars will be built on two platforms. The smaller one, probably to be called Discovery Sport, will use the steel underpinnings from the Range Rover Evoque, while the larger car (probably still to be called plain old Discovery) will use the lightweight aluminium platform already used under the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The car we'll see in New York will probably be the smaller vehicle, the Sport, which will likely have seven seats available as an option and is the car that will replace the existing Land Rover Freelander.
Both cars will use Land Rover's new Ingenium four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines, while the larger car will likely get the same 3.0-litre TDV6 as the Range Rover.
Gerry McGovern, Design Director and Chief Creative Officer for Land Rover, commented that "Discovery has been pivotal in helping to build the foundations of the Land Rover brand. It is admired all over the world and loved by its strong customer base. We have created the Vision Concept to share the essence of Land Rover's new age of Discovery and to debut a new, compelling, relevant design direction that connects on an emotional level with customers of today and tomorrow."
Anything else?
The arrival of the new Discovery family also likely brings the arrival of a new Defender that bit closer. While Land Rover is still prevaricating over replacing its original icon, spinning it off the same platform as the Disco would make it much easier for the sums to add up.