The next Land Rover Discovery, GenVI, will be all about a “family adventure”, and is likely to get both ICE and EV power. It will also have its own identity in the hope it stops Defender from stealing potential sales.
Discovery is not only the oldest LR but also the slowest selling. While only responsible for four per cent of sales currently, JLR says it is returning for another generation. The firm wants to focus more on its values as an off- and on-road family adventure vehicle.
Currently, Defender offers comparable refinement and space with a broader spread of engines, spec and body sizes. It is selling six-fold better than Discovery.
It is possible that next Discovery will have some MPV design elements, with models like ID Buzz being influential. New Discovery will become one of four stand-alone ‘brands’ alongside Range Rover, Defender and Jaguar.
This will also give it a new lease of life. A spokesperson said that for Discovery to succeed, it must sit in a unique territory.
It will likely use the MLA platform that underpins Range Rover and can accommodate both ICE and electric powertrains. New Discovery will also be one of the electric LRs that dots down by 2026. Like other companies making upmarket SUVs, the company is hedging its electric bets. So it’s likely a plug-in hybrid Discovery will be part of the model mix.
It’s also expected that the electric Discovery will borrow tech from the soon-to-launch RR EV so expect 800V electric architecture for rapid charging. JLR has also promised performance akin to the V8 Range Rover, both on and off road.
Expect also a Discovery fettled by the SVO performance division of JLR. SVO boss Jamal Hameedi said the car will be positioned with “its own special interpretation of what flagship means” for the Discovery brand.
Special-edition flagships give JLR another way to boost profit margins, making them a crucial source of revenue generation for future product development.
