Land Rover reveals first Discovery

Land Rover has revealed that the first member of its new Discovery family will be called the Discovery Sport.

The small SUV will make its world debut next year and will replace the current Freelander.

Australian deliveries will coincide with the world launch, meaning Aussie buyers won’t have to wait to get their hands on the new model.

Discovery Sport will become the first model of Land Rover’s revamped Discovery family, with the company confirming it has concrete plans for at least one other model – a replacement for the current Discovery in 2016.

Company execs couldn’t say how many models the Discovery family could hold, with JLR’s marketing director Phil Popham telling Wheels: “I can’t tell you because right now I simply don’t know. And that’s the truth.”

Industry scuttlebutt, however, suggests as many as four distinct models could wear the Discovery badge.

All variants will draw design inspiration from the Discovery Vision Concept, revealed this morning at the New York motor show.

Crammed full of ground-breaking technology, which you can read about here, Land Rover’s design guru Gerry McGovern told Wheels the Vision concept sets the tone for new Discoverys to boast radical new styling.

As for other details, such as engines and drivetrain info, JLR remains frustratingly tight-lipped, but Popham did confirm the new Disco Sport won’t get the new aluminium architecture used by the Range Rover Sport.

The Discovery family will use JLR’s range of new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium engines, but they’re unlikely to be fitted from launch.

JLR wouldn’t be drawn on the subject of pricing, but Popham hinted that the new Discovery family, which JLR plans to give a more premium feel, could command higher price tags.

“We don’t think there’s a ceiling in terms of pricing,” he told Wheels.

“We’re a luxury brand and we sell to affluent buyers. There’s a huge amount of people willing to spend more, so I would expect a broadening of the current price range.”

Land Rover Discovery