Land Rover's Discovery Vision concept is packed full of new technology and futuristic styling. Revealed at the Beijing motor show earlier this year, the concept points the way forward for the firm's new expanded Land Rover Discovery family.
Richard Wooley is design studio director for Land Rover. He answers our questions about the concept.
How close a look at the new Land Rover Discovery is this concept?
It’s us putting stuff out there. It’s getting reactions to a future Discovery and moving it forward. It doesn’t represent anything in particular. There’s a clear understanding of what it’s meant to be; it’s a visionary concept looking at design and technology.
What makes this concept a Discovery?
Above all it has great proportions, something that’s not just a Discovery trait but one true of all Land Rovers. It sounds easy to do, but it’s not on such differently sized cars with their own unique design and engineering pressures. This has the Land Rover ethos of a less is more, a pared back approach.
Why the radical departure from the Discovery 4?
Land Rover has a history of innovation. Most people forget that when we launched Discovery 3, it was a radical when compared to Discovery 2. Discovery models don’t tend to do the same things and innovate each time. This concept carries that ethos on.
What has the approach been inside?
There’s a revolutionary feel inside where we’ve cleaned up and given a sense of calm, something that compares to the visual noise in other cars. Land Rovers have a unique feel inside and you should get in, relax and understand the type of environment you’re in immediately. There are new ideas in the concept that challenges us, and this will feed back into the future design process.
What are the differences between Range Rover and Discovery buyers?
A Range Rover customer buys the car as a more personal choice. A Discovery buyer buys the car with others in mind. Discovery models have versatile, social spaces. Range Rovers are more personal and spacious.
What can the Discovery range learn from the Range Rover range as it prepares to grow?
The Range Rover family models are all individual but all share common themes. There’s not a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to our models. It’s more like a tool box; in a tool box there are different tools for different jobs and in a car sense this can be reflected in size, interiors, technology, design. We offer what’s appropriate.
What do you make of the comparisons between the concept and the Range Rover?
Join the debate
Add your comment
i have to agree with ski kid.
Lovely car, great design and
You lot were the same whiners that complained about the original Disco, and Freelander, so I take little notice of anything you say.
As for the design, EVERY car manufacture has to abide by new laws and regulations, which require certain heights, slants and so on, so its not going to be svelte, and anyway, its a better shape than the LR4 currently is, so stop whining and just enjoy a great looking British car.
Don't like the rear
I suppose it's clear these are no longer off road vehicles in any real sense, other than a short excursion to look credible curtesy of some fancy but inexpensive electronics, If it will sell in China, Mid East etc then that's where LR have to aim and good luck to them. it's more important to sell loads of cars than pander to the the bearded purists like me. I see this as an over weight people carrier for the Tarmac not a LandRover