New York 2014: Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept revealed

Land Rover’s Discovery in a smashing new avatar will make its debut at the New York Auto Show tomorrow, albeit in concept form. The Discovery Vision concept you can see in these pictures showcases the design of the next generation Discovery family that will be launched in 2015.

You read that right. Land Rover has plans to expand its Discovery brand from a single model to a family of products. While the company has said that the Discovery family is set to evolve, no further details have been shared about the type of Discovery models in the new range. What we can guess by the information Land Rover shares is that in addition to engine options, the Discovery could have a variety of interior seating options. The concept shows a seven seater but the vehicle has a versatile interior and can be converted to a six-seater, or you can have a five-seat configuration or even a four-seater limousine-like layout.

In terms of design, the Evoque and Range Rover elements are unmistakable. The boxy shape remains but the design gives the Discovery a wider stance than before. The front facing wide C-Pillar, a signature element in the Discovery, is carried forward to the new concept but the stepped rear gives way to a more uniform posterior. The interior is very minimalist and is dominated by a large centre console screen and one for the instrument cluster.

The Concept boasts of some serious technological advancement - A smart glass that brings augmented reality into the entire glasshouse, gesture control for the doors, indicators, headlamps and seatback screens and driving the car on and off-road using a remote control. The Discovery Vision concept also comes with laser lights and automatic beam dipping technology. What’s more, it gets laser referencing technology to navigate through tight spots.

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The highlight of the concept though the off-roading technology it comes kitted with. The Discovery Vision concept, very aptly has a ‘transparent bonnet’ heads up display that essentially has cameras fitted below the grille displaying on the windscreen the terrain underneath the SUV. It works like you can see through the bonnet, hence the name. The Discovery has a laser terrain scanning system that maps the terrain in front with the help of infrared lasers and chalks out the best path through the course. The Disco also has wade aid sensors that send lasers to measure the depth of water even before entering it. Sum it all up with semi-autonomous off-road driving and the Discovery Concept almost seems invincible irrespective of terrain.