We often credit the Discovery as one of the models that helped Land Rover in the long run. Without it, the company’s lineup of products wouldn’t likely be what it is today. It showed that the range can be expanded, further broadening the brand’s audience and appeal.
It has been 35 years since the Land Rover Discovery made its world premiere. Five generations have been made since, but this model is currently at a crossroads.
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Ever since the Defender made its return, Discovery sales have practically eroded. According to Land Rover’s figures, only 16,750 units of the Discovery were sold worldwide, making it the slowest-selling model in the Land Rover lineup. In contrast, the Defender sold nearly six times as much with 110,367 shifted in 2023.
So, what is Land Rover to do? One thing is for sure, it won’t discontinue the Discovery despite the low sales. Instead, the brand is aiming to ‘reinvent’ the model to further give it distinction from the Defender. Perhaps ironically, the Defender revival owes itself to the Discovery as it uses the same platform.
British automotive publication Autocar spoke with JLR’s Discovery and Defender brands boss Mark Cameron for an answer. Cameron admits that the Defender cannibalized sales from the Discovery, hence a repositioning for the sixth-generation model is in order.
“Recreating what Discovery stands for, we absolutely have to make sure it sits in a really unique territory,” said the executive. With the Discovery becoming its own entity under JLR’s ‘House of Brands’ philosophy, the team has more freedom to define what the future model should be. There are no specifics just yet, but Special Vehicle Operations chief SVO boss Jamal Hameedi said “we can do whatever we want; we’ve broken the chains of the formula.”
It’s possible that the Discovery will take on a more ‘family SUV’ approach for its next generation. It has always been an alternative to the likes of the Lexus RX and BMW X5, but that could be taken up a notch in the future. But this being Land Rover, it’s safe to assume that it’ll have the off-road capability that’s expected from the brand.
