Land Rover confirm expanding Discovery range: Geneva Motor Show (video)

Land Rover has confirmed the expansion of the Discovery range to include a replacement for the Freelander. First new model in 2015.

We’ve known for some time that Land Rover will have three ranges of vehicles in future: The Luxury Range Rover range, a lifestyle/leisure range badge Discovery and the more utilitarian – and possibly funky – Defender range.

We already have the basics of the Range Rover range with the Evoque, Sport and Range Rover and Land Rover has now confirmed the Discovery range will be arriving in 2015.

First up is almost certainly the replacement for the Freelander which looks like it will get similar underpinnings to the Evoque (itself based on the Freelander) rather than a new aluminium chassis, and will feature Jaguar Land Rover’s new range of Ingenium 4-cylinder engines. The new baby Discovery is expected to arrive at a Motor Show in early 2015 (probably Detroit).

The next stage will be the arrival of the Land Rover Discovery 5.

The Discovery 5 looks set to get the same underpinnings as the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport and, as the Discovery 4 does, feature enough room for seven seats as standard. It too will make use of JLR’s new Ingenium range of engines. Expect the Discovery 5 to debut around this time next year.

There is also likely to be a third Discovery model at some point, sitting below the Freelander-sized Discovery, although that’s probably at least a couple of years away.

The Discovery is currently the most able of Land Rover’s road-biased SUVs, and we hope that doesn’t change with the arrival of a new generation of Discovery models.

But if Land Rover can make the Discovery range as appealing and able as the Range Rover range it’s going to see sales flying forward – as long as it doesn’t cannibalise sales from the Range Rovers.