As the UK’s number 1 luxury car hire company, Signature Car Hire receives updates from every major marque on their latest news and developments. We love reading these and sharing the best with you through our newsletter and on this blog, but it’s rare that something makes us sit up and look at a marque in a completely new light.
Land Rover’s latest update, however, made us do just that, with the news that not only is their Discovery now see-through, but also that they’ve partnered with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. Have they gone to infinity and beyond? Let us explain…
The see-through Discovery, for a start, is brought about by revolutionary technology that allows the driver to look ‘through’ the bonnet to the ground below. Named, understandably, Transparent Bonnet, the system has been debuted on the new Discovery concept car, and uses cameras behind the grille, coupled with a Head-Up display, to allow the driver to observe the ground directly underneath the car in real-time. This is just one of the features that will distinguish Land Rover’s new Discovery family – a technology-heavy range of compact SUVs, including a Discovery Sport, on which we’ll bring you more news in the coming months.
Land Rover say that, in particular, Transparent Bonnet is ‘perfect for steep inclines and maneuvering in confined spaces’. It looks, quite frankly, surreal, but we bet it would be huge fun to drive – see this video for a sneak preview:
Signature Founder & CEO was so impressed when he saw this for the first time he said, “WOW! What will Range Rover think of next! I can’t wait until this is available on the entire range; it would certainly make parking in London easier and exploring terrain much more fun! This marque always inspires me, and that’s why we are proud to have one of the biggest self-drive hire fleet of luxury Range Rovers in the UK.”
Something else that still seems a bit surreal is the idea of hopping on a passenger vehicle and heading into space, but that’s exactly what Richard Branson’s groundbreaking commercial spaceline, Virgin Galactic, will do. The company, which has at its heart adventure and exploration, is in the final stages of preparation for the launch of this unique service, and it has now partnered with Land Rover to ensure that its astronauts have the best possible transport to and from flights.
A fleet of new Land Rover vehicles will be based at the two Virgin Galactic bases – one in the Mojave Desert, California, and one at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Although the company has rightfully gained a reputation for solidity and reliability over any terrain, there’s no doubt that this new fleet will be space-age enough – as well as that Transparent Bonnet, the new generation of Discoveries will feature gesture control (allowing you to open doors with a wave of your hand) and Laser Referencing, which projects markers onto the ground outside to help you maneuver.
As Richard Branson put it: “We couldn’t be more delighted to have Land Rover join us on our incredible journey. It is hard to think of brand which is more synonymous with exploration and adventure. The safety and engineering excellence of Land Rover’s vehicles, which have been the stuff of legend for more than 65 years, are attributes which also lie at the heart of Virgin Galactic. We look forward to crossing the final frontier together and to a long and fruitful partnership.”
