Land Rover partners with Virgin Atlantic, unveils new Discovery Vision Concept
You may have heard that Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson has talked about starting the first commercial space flight. The illustrious CEO plans to take customers to space for just Rs 1.5 crore and Land Rover has partnered with them. The showcasing of Land Rover’s latest Discovery Vision Concept and the SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Atlantic’s scale model of their commercial spacecraft, is a fine way to show off the partnership. Both these ultramodern vehicles were unveiled courtesy of Land Rover on the USS Intrepid — a sea, air and space museum in New York — and will remain on display till April 22. In addition, the Discovery Vision Concept will also be on display at the New York International Auto Show starting tomorrow.
The futuristic ‘invisible’ hood technology is not the only highlight of the Land Rover Discovery Vision concept (read more here). The concept SUV responds to gestures to open doors and turn on/off the headlamps and indicators. Land Rover claims a whole new level of versatility, as the vehicle can be transformed from its normal seven-seat layout to a six-seat, five-seat or even a four-seat one which should be positively limousine-like. A feature known as Remote Control Drive will allow for the driver to control the SUV from outside the vehicle at low speeds. The fog lamps in the front emit a laser that enables the SUV to track objects that may come in the way during serious bouts of off-roading and display a contour map on the instrument cluster. This map can be used along with Land Rover’s new All-Terrain Coach guidance system which will plot a course through the terrain to aid the driver.
The Discovery Vision Concept borrows a few styling cues from its Land Rover stablemates; the front grille and headlamps look like the Evoque’s. The plastic black chin lends the front a buff look and the flared wheel arches add to the muscular appeal. In three-quarter view, the rear looks somewhat bulky due to the straight roof, thick C-pillar and the rear overhang, though it will benefit the last row of passengers. Engine choices are a bit of a question mark at the moment but we expect a slew of plug-in hybrid options with a range topping V8 motor.
The partnership with Virgin Atlantic will mean that Land Rover SUVs will be a part of the daily lives of the Virgin Galactic team and for all ‘Future Astronauts’. The passengers will arrive at the New Mexico facility for training in Land Rovers and continue to move around in them during their stay. In order to facilitate this, Land Rover will base a fleet of vehicles at the Virgin Galactic test centre in the Mojave Desert, California and at its operational New Mexico base, Spaceport America.
