The first of the new Discovery Sport, Land Rover’s replacement for the Freelander, has rolled off the Halewood production line. It’s just in time for next month’s Los Angeles Motor Show where it will make its North American debut.
Coincidentally, the first Discovery Sport is being delivered to its first owner; Virgin Galactic. The Discovery Sport will be the first of many cars supplied by Land Rover to Virgin Galactic as part of a global partnership between the two British brands. Land Rover clearly taking their ‘Above and Beyond’ tagline very seriously.
While you’d need to wish upon a shooting star to purchase a seat on the Virgin Galactic with the sky-high prices, the Discovery Sport is a more affordable prospect for most people. It’ll land on our shores early next year with the availability of petrol or diesel engines. There are even reports suggesting of a performance version to rival the likes of the Audi SQ5 and Porsche Macan Turbo.
As car launches go though, this has to be up there with one of the most extreme. Land Rover North America are even offering a lucky person and their four closest friends a chance to win seats on the first commercial spaceliner. Which makes sense as the Discovery Sport is billed as a 5+2 so there wouldn’t be much space for any more people.
What do you think of the Land Rover/Virgin Galatic partnership? Is it a match made in heaven or a marketing gimmick too far? Comet below.