Land Rover unveils its Discovery Vision concept

April, 18, 2014

Land Rover unveiled its Discovery Vision concept at the 2014 New York International Auto Show. Its classification as a ‘leisure SUV’ may show the company as backing off its legendary off-roading capability. That notion would appear to be wrong, given the incredible array of futuristic terrain technology Land Rover describes for this concept.

Rather than expand on its Terrain Response System, which controls differentials and braking to cope with difficult terrain, the Discovery Vision concept employs lasers to scan the trail ahead to help the vehicle and its driver. Infrared lasers map the ground to let the concept’s four-wheel-drive systems adjust and help the driver find the most passable route. These lasers also scan water depth to let the driver know if a river is too deep to cross.

In addition, cameras under the front of the concept capture the part of the trail the driver cannot see. That imagery is projected on the windshield as augmented reality, making it appear as if the front is transparent.

Laser headlights, a technology also being developed by Audi and BMW, throw a bright beam ahead, and can quickly adjust so as not to blind oncoming traffic.