Land Rover Discovery milestone celebrated at Solihull plant

The 1,000,000th Land Rover Discovery has been produced at  Land Rover's Solihull manufacturing plant in the UK West Midlands. Watch the video below on the making of the millionth Discovery.

First made in 1989 the Land Rover discovery has helped build the Land Rover brand against other 4x4 vehicles coming into the market place. Officially four major versions of the Discovery have been made, however the made changes have been the first Discovery 1 and then the Discovery 2 with BMW and later the Discovery 3 with Ford. The Discovery 4 is the same body as the Discovery 3 with major changes inside and up to date lights etc.

The millionth Discovery will go on a special expedition to China. China has a massive growth market for Land Rover at the moment. 8.000 miles, 13 countries in 50 days  - a team of four Land Rover Experience experts tackle all weather, all terrain  in the one millionth Discovery.  Expedition aims to raise £1million for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Land Rover's most ambitious fund raising project ever (www.landrover.com/million)

With a £1million target, the 'Journey of Discovery' is Land Rover's most ambitious fund raising project to date. It will support IFRC and their water sanitation project in Uganda. This is in addition to the three-year global initiative "Reaching Vulnerable People Around the World".  This initiative, launched in 2010, provides additional support for IFRC programmes in over 15 countries worldwide.

Mark Cameron, Land Rover Global Brand Extension Director said: "Land Rover is delighted to launch the One Million Pound fundraiser in aid of the IFRC - an organisation we have had a relationship with since 1954. The funds will be used directly by the IFRC, over a three-year period and will be donated to a water sanitation project in Uganda, with over 45,000 beneficiaries."

Bekele Geleta, Secretary-General of the IFRC said: "Lack of safe water is the most common and preventable underlying cause of disease in the world today and Ugandais one of the countries worst affected. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are working in Ugandato provide safe water and sanitation, reaching 90,000 in the last four years. This joint initiative between the IFRC and Land Rover aims to reach an additional 45,000 people in Uganda."

Land Rover DC100 Concept Makes Middle Eastern Debut In Dubai

Land Rover's DC100 concept makes its Middle Eastern Debut at the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show. The DC100 concept explores the possible design and technological direction of the new Defender.

Evolved since its unveiling at Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the DC100 concept now features off-road optimised 20-inch alloy wheels with Cooper all-terrain tyres. It is finished in a distinctive colour combination of Fuji White paint with a Santorini Black roof.

The DC100 reinvents the essential Defender design cues for the 21^st century. These include short overhangs for extreme approach and departure angles; vertical panels, upright windscreen and strong shoulder line for visibility and ease of positioning and of course the honest Defender 'face' with its signature round lamps and prominent grille, incorporating a winch.

For more than six decades Land Rover has been leading the way in developing engineering solutions that give all its products an unrivalled ability to tackle the toughest terrain while remaining comfortable, refined and undemanding of their drivers. The DC100 is no exception, previewing an entire portfolio of cutting-edge technology that will allow the future Land Rovers to go even further beyond.

The core attributes of capability and versatility are underpinned by a suite of innovative off-road technological aids that work seamlessly together to reduce the workload on the driver.

Foremost of these is the next generation of Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system which will automatically optimise the car for any conditions without driver pre-selection. It does so by combining data from myriad sensors assessing wheel slip, suspension travel, steering angle, brake and accelerator inputs with information provided by HD cameras mounted in the front of the car. These analyse the visual spectrum of the terrain ahead of the car and compare it with images stored within a predictive neural network to identify surface conditions.

The Terrain-i system creates an intelligent map of the topography in front of the car and displays it as a 3D visualisation similar to those used in fighter planes. Terrain-i is able to automatically analyse the environs a full 360-degrees around the vehicles, identify potential hazards and suggest alternative routes. In urban environments the same system is able to identify pedestrians and other hazards with great accuracy.

Further innovations are targeted at specific conditions often encountered during both on and off-road driving. Wade Aid utilises sonar sensors mounted in the bumpers and wing mirrors to measure water depth and inclinometers to assess whether the level is increasing or decreasing, displaying all the information to the driver in an intuitive graphic. As with Terrain Response, Wade Aid will optimise the car for a water crossing by closing body vents, raising the ride height, selecting a low gear and advising on the safest speed.
Another tool for tackling rapidly changing conditions is provided by a torque vectoring programme which automatically and instantly directs torque to the wheels with most grip, creating an infinitely adjustable traction control system for both tarmac and off-road driving.

Sustainability has always been a Land Rover hallmark - more than three-quarters of the almost two million Defenders made are still doing regular duty - and the DC100 concepts extend this commitment with new technologies that will reduce their environmental impact. The first is an intelligent Twin-Solenoid Stop/Start system mated to the latest eight-speed automatic gearbox, both of which have been designed with future hybridisation in mind. Secondly is the unique Driveline Disconnect system which sends power to the front-axle only unless conditions demand all-wheel drive. Unlike conventional systems, this physically, rather than electronically, decouples the rear-axle to reduce friction losses but can reengage drive almost instantaneously.

Land Rover Defender Concept 100 At New Delhi Auto Expo

Land Rover's Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport have made their Indian debut at the New Delhi Auto Expo 2012. These concepts investigate the potential design direction for a replacement for the iconic Defender.

John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director said: "The Defender has always been at the heart of the Land Rover Brand and single-handedly defines our go-anywhere, can-do sprit. Our ambition is to create an all new Defender for a global market that remains absolutely faithful to its original DNA: tough, versatile, durable and capable. At the same time, it will be developed for the 21st century and adaptable for the needs of future generations.
"Our intention is to introduce the all new Defender in the middle of the decade - there's a lot of work to do to meet these dates and our concepts are just the start of the journey. We are here inIndiato showcase the Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport."
 
Capturing the rugged, dependable and adventurous spirit of the original, the Defender Concept 100 and Defender Concept 100 Sport are intended to showcase the potential breath of capability for the future Defender family. Evolved since their unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011, the concepts now ride on optimised off-road 20-inch alloy wheels shod with Cooper all-terrain tyres.

Shown for the first time in Firenze Red paint with a white roof, the Defender Concept 100 re-invents the essential Defender design cues for the 21st century. These include short overhangs for extreme approach and departure angles, vertical panels, an upright windscreen and strong shoulder line for visibility and ease of positioning and, of course, the honest Defender 'face' with its signature round lamps and prominent grille, incorporating a winch.
Also in Firenze Red, the Defender Concept 100 Sport takes all these key design cues and adds to them the spirit of freedom first embodied by the early canvas-roofed Land Rovers with their fold-down windscreens to create a concept bursting with California cool.

Core Land Rover attributes of capability and versatility are underpinned in both concepts by a suite of innovative off-road technological aids that reduce the workload on the driver.

Foremost of these is the next generation of Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response system which will optimise the car for any conditions without driver pre-selection. In addition, a new Terrain-i system creates an intelligent map of the topography in front of the car and displays it as a 3D visualisation. Terrain-i automatically identifies potential hazards and suggests alternative routes. In urban environments the same system is able to identify pedestrians and hazards with great accuracy.

A new Wade Aid system utilises sonar sensors mounted in the bumpers and wing mirrors to measure water depth. As with Terrain Response, Wade Aid will optimise the car for water crossings by closing body vents, raising the ride height, selecting a low gear and advising on the safest speed.

Sustainability has always been a Land Rover hallmark - more than three-quarters of the almost two million Defenders made are still doing regular duty - and the Defender Concepts extend this commitment with new technologies that will reduce their environmental impact. The first is an intelligent Twin-Solenoid Stop/Start system mated to the latest eight-speed automatic gearbox, both of which have been designed with future hybridisation in mind. Second is the unique Driveline Disconnect system, which sends power to the front-axle only unless conditions demand all-wheel drive. Unlike conventional systems, this physically, rather than electronically, decouples the rear-axle to reduce friction losses but can reengage drive almost instantaneously.