One of the most prestigious car brands, the Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept SUV has finally made its way to New York and it is destined to be the new norm for future Discoveries, the first of which will be out next year. A new design was seen as well as innovative versatility and some amazing tech from Jaguar's advanced R&D bods.
A scale model concept was launched of Virgin Galactic's spacecraft at USS Intrepid, Manhattan's sea, air and space centre. It came out on the day before the New York Auto Show started.
The Discovery is changing from a single model brand to a whole SUV stable that'll change the game.
Jaguar Land Rover's group managing director said:
'We announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March that the Discovery family is set to evolve. And it is apt that in the 25th anniversary year of the original Discovery that we preview how this evolution will take us forward into a daring new era. The Discovery Vision Concept gives us the first stunning glimpse into this hugely exciting future.'
The concept has stepped roof and alpine lights, as well as appealing design and a focus on versatility.
According to The Motoring Crunch, the company wants to offer a car that's practical, that can be configured to suit the individual. It has an advanced interior which is spacious and has lots of innovative features like moveable seating.
Seats can be folded flat, slid back and forwards, all from the touchscreen menu. It can change from the original seven-seat layout to six, five or four seats. Luggage is stored in the doors and there are various accessories that have been integrated into the backs of seats for the passengers sitting behind them.
The tailgate has been remodelled and it's now a single design piece with a rear sill step and a folding bench seat. This sill step can also take a ski or bike rack.
The interior is versatile as well, with the cabin having a Foglizzon premium leather finish - washable and water and oil repellent. There's wood veneers on the floor as well as along the instrument panel. There's bespoke accessories lined with Harris tweed to give it a slightly British feel.
We can see what the R&D team at JLR has been up to here, and also how the Land Rover is going to evolve in the next few years. Some of the tech coming our way is:
Next gen Human-Machine Interface (HMI): this creates an immersive multimedia environment for all occupants. There's video calls between passengers through the infotainment screens. There's Smart Glass which gives augmented reality to the glasshouse and the doors, indicators, headlights and seatback screens are operated by Gesture Control.
Remote Control Drive lets drivers operate and manoeuvre the car at low speed without actually being in it. This tech has applications for extreme off-roading and trailer coupling.
The powerful laser headlights give great visibility, with intelligent object-tracking and beam dipping.
Laser marking lets drivers navigate tight gaps more easily by projecting markings and symbols onto the ground.
Then there's the transparent bonnet head-up display which gives a view of the ground ahead, which improves driver confidence and ability. The cameras are located below the grille and transmit to the windscreen-integrated display. When navigating challenging terrain, the cameras can lay an image onto the windscreen which makes it seem as if the bonnet isn't there.
The front fog lights have laser terrain scanning, which is always feeding a contour map into the HD display. This tech works with the All Terrain coach guidance system, which plots out a path for the driver.
These widgets and the others help the Discovery Vision Concept to make the most of its all-terrain abilities while pushing the boundaries to new levels.
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover, said:
'As a true pioneer, Land Rover is committed to constantly pushing the boundaries to redefine what SÚV capability and versatility is all about. The Discovery Vision Concept shows the breadth of innovative, intelligent technologies being developed in order to offer our future customers unprecedented capability across any kind of terrain.'
