Prototype camouflage has come a long way. When I were a lad, secret new cars were shrouded in nowt more than bin liners and gaffer tape. And we were happy with it, let me tell you! Young people of today etc. etc.
Nowadays though, given the ubiquity of 'spy shots' of soon-to-be-new vehicles, car makers are starting to make their prototype runs as important to the marketing campaign as the motor show reveal. We've already seen Jaguar's cutaway wrap on the new XE saloon and now sister company Land Rover is following suit with this x-rayed Discovery Sport.
Showing off that the Freelander replacement will come as standard with seven seats (actually Land Rover refers to it as 5+2) these Discovery Sport early-builds are already doing the rounds on roads near the Halewood factory near Liverpool where they will be built.
"As you would expect from a Discovery, the versatile Discovery Sport will feature 5+2 seating in the UK, offering spacious load space and configurable seating, while still retaining a more compact footprint than traditional five-seat SUVs," said Gerry McGovern, Design Director and Chief Creative Officer for Land Rover.
Anything else?
You'll notice that it says seven seats will be standard in the UK. That presumably means that the Disco Sport will also likely be available optionally as a five-seater with a bigger boot, something that could have interesting implications for its tax rating here in Ireland...