Land Rover goes all Knight Rider with new model
Jaguar Land Rover's next generation Discovery 4x4 has a touch of James Bond and Knight Rider about it with the ability to drive itself.
The launch of the new car, that is packed with hi-tech gizmos, will signal good news for JLR's new engine factory in Wolverhampton as well as the Solihull plant that makes Land Rovers and the region's scores of car-part makers who supply the company.
The new Discovery Vision Concept, unveiled in New York today, is the first of what will become a new family of vehicles, developing the old Disco off-roader into a string of different cars each appealing to different sorts of customers. The first will go on sale next year.
Among the impressive new features is remote control drive that enables the driver to manoeuvre the car at low speeds while not actually seated inside it.
The feature has various useful applications, say JLR. It can be used both on-and off-road, from coupling a trailer, to off-roading.
The car's other features are smart glass, intelligent laser headlamps and 'gesture control', which allows you to open the doors, operate the indicators or turn on the headlamps simply by moving your hand.
Bosses say the West Midlands-made car will be part of a new family of vehicles aiming to dominate their end of the car market.
It is hoped it will push up sales and boost demand from the Land Rover factory at Solihull, where thousands of new workers have been already recruited in recent years. And smaller versions of the new Discovery family could be powered by the new four-cylinder Ingenium engines made by the £500 million Wolverhampton factory, which is already set to create 1,400 jobs in the next few years.
It is part of JLR's campaign to boost its record-breaking sales even higher in the years to come, building on the success of its top-selling Range Rover Evoque and the new Jaguar XE saloon – powered by Wolverhampton-built engines – due to be unveiled later this year and go on sale in 2015. Phil Popham, group marketing director at Jaguar Land Rover, said today: "The Discovery Vision Concept gives us the first stunning glimpse into this hugely exciting future."
