Land Rover showcased the precursor of its next-gen Discovery to be called the Discovery 5, with the Land Rover Discovery Vision concept at the New York motor show, last year. It has now been reported that JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division is mooting the possibility of a hardcore off-roading version of the SUV with the model to be called Discovery SVX.
The new Discovery will go through a makeover to achieve and display the SVX model's off-road potential. The SVX model will go on sale 12-18 months after the launch of the all-new Discovery 5 sometime in 2016.
John Edwards, MD, Special Vehicle Operations said, “There is a market for more off-road capability, so of course we’re looking at it”, he said. “In the US there’s a wide snow-belt, in the Middle East there’s extreme sand and in regions such as Australia and South Africa there is a need to cover very rugged terrain.”
Land Rover is said to be eager to use SVO's tuning of the Discovery to emphasise on its technical and mechanical ability. The modifications are likely to be down to technological solutions to dealing with extreme off-road conditions.
About advances in technology, last year’s Land Rover Discovery Vision concept included a ‘virtual’ windscreen and bonnet that used cameras to show an unobstructed view of the road ahead and beneath the car. The innovations are not expected to reach production stage any time soon, but it highlights the ambitious trajectory of SVO.
Details of what's under the hood are still unknown, but Edwards stated that SVO has the opportunity to apply technology with focus on all-terrain use, as well as develop everything including cutting-edge technology solutions.
Till date, SVO projects have consistently focussed on limited-run cars such as the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 and E-Type recreations, bespoke models such as the Paul Smith Land Rover Defender and the performance-orientated Range Rover Sport SVR.