With Land Rover now offering three-row seating for the Defender and Range Rover, some folks are beginning to question whether there's still room in the portfolio for the Discovery. Thierry Bolloré, CEO of the Tata Motors-owned British marque, has told Auto Express the Disco is here to stay, but the formula will be drastically changed to separate the SUV from its two seven- and eight-seat cousins:
"We are completely reinventing Discovery. We believe there is a space for it, but we have to be creative." The head honcho went on to admit the Defender has cannibalized sales of the Discovery but argues turning the latter into a "real family car for the most discerning families" will justify its existence in the lineup. Bolloré mentions there needs to be an authentic family car in the luxury segment, although he didn't go into any specifics about what that actually means.
Auto Express believes the next-generation Discovery will be pushed upmarket, which frankly seems a bit odd since that's the role of the Range Rover. The British publication goes as far as to say the two will ride on the same MLA platform, which has also underpinned the latest Range Rover Sport. Going down this road would allow the engineers to develop ICE, plug-in hybrid, and EV versions of the revamped Disco. A zero-emissions variant has already been confirmed and will arrive by the end of the decade.
While a new Discovery is certainly happening, the future doesn't look so bright for the Discovery Sport. When asked by AE whether the smaller SUV will live to see a new generation, Bolloré said: "We don't know yet." Confusingly, the report points out Land Rover could expand the Discovery lineup with a long-wheelbase derivative, which would step on the Range Rover's toes. Overall, it looks as though there will be some degree of overlap.
The next-gen Discovery is expected to break cover in 2025 and go on sale about a year later. As you may recall, JLR has scrapped plans for a Road Rover, which was supposed to be more wagon than SUV by riding lower to the ground.
