Special Vehicles Operation (SVO) at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has supposedly planned an upgraded version of the Discovery 5 which will be produced 12-18 months after the car's release.
JLR's SVO division follows three rules in the car innovation markets: "luxury," "performance" and "capability." Their earlier release of the Jaguar F-Type SVR showcases their goals in luxury, while their Range Rover Sport SVR showcases performance. The capability section, however, had yet to be filled... until now.
SVO head John Edwards was elusive in revealing which specific model will undergo an improvement. but sources have hinted that the SVO division is focusing on expanding the Discovery 5's capabilities. He says the company's main goal is dealing with "bandwidth." For about 65 years, they have been keen on producing cars that would improve upon their predecessors and raise the bars throughout the market. They purposefully took their vision "with the Sport SVR to go right" and the SVX version now gives them the opportunity to veer left. Edwards firmly believes such a change would greatly benefit the Land Rover proposition overall, by "amplifying the core brand values."
It is unclear if SVO plans to upgrade Discovery 5 after its release. The current model is built for off-road maneuvering, but with more focus on design, and the reportedly "newer" version will push the car's off-road capabilities to the next level.
Reports also speculate that JLR could make a comeback with its Defender models after halting nearly 70 years of production. Edwards acknowledged that "the opportunity might be different from a market perspective, but it is obvious from a Land Rover perspective. From an emotional perspective, it is pressing that we do an SVX." The next Defender SVX, while rooted in its "go-anywhere marketplace," could be further developed and enter the luxury and performance categories of SVO's guidelines, even as much as beating the capabilities of a Discovery SVX.
The planned SVX version is assumed to boast technical upgrades presented last year in the company's Land Rover Discovery Vision, which involves a virtual windscreen and bonnet. Cameras are attached to the car and will display its frontal view as well as the underside of a car for a wider and optimal view of the road. Through SVX, SVO plans to target areas with extreme terrain conditions such as the Middle East, U.S. snow belts, Australia and South Africa.
Photos: Land Rover MENA | Flickr
