Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has unveiled its new Discovery Sport model and described it as “the most accomplished vehicle” of its kind.
The seven-seater Discovery Sport will go on sale in January next year and has already created 250 extra jobs at the company’s plant in Halewood on Merseyside, as it prepares to begin full production of the sleek new addition to the Land Rover family.
JLR launched the Discovery Sport is one of its biggest digital campaigns, including a competition to send four friends into space with Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic craft.
The vehicle, which is expected to cost around £32,000, features in a film shot at Virgin Galactic’s Spaceport America base in New Mexico and includes Sir Richard and iconic adventurers Bear Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Virginia McKenna.
JLR group marketing director Phil Popham said: “The new Discovery Sport is an exciting development for the Land Rover Discovery family and demonstrates our commitment to continued investment in new models and innovation.
“This is also great news for our award-winning plant at Halewood and we remain committed to championing high-quality products in the UK. “Discovery Sport’s versatility is a key differentiator.
It is quite simply the most accomplished vehicle in its segment.” Halewood plant director Richard Else added: “In many ways, Halewood has embodied the transformation of Jaguar Land Rover.
“We have seen our workforce treble and production quadrupled in just four years. “Today we are operating three shifts, 24-hours a day, to meet global demand and I am confident that the team there will deliver a flawless launch of this exciting new model.”