More images and video of the 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport testing. Land Rover says it wants ‘to open the door on prototype testing and development’.

IN A SHORT PRESS RELEASE complete with infographics and videos, Land Rover has continued to build hype around the upcoming release of its new Discovery Sport (which will replace the Freelander2 and will boast seven seats). Short on detail about the vehicle itself, the statement from Land Rover is another example of a car maker drop feeding information about new models to help ‘maintain the rage’ in the marketplace and keep the ‘Net buzzing – the recent Ford Australia reveal of the Ford Falcon was a great example of that.

Land Rover and Virgin Galactic announced their partnership in April this year and yesterday wanted to “open the doors on the world of prototype testing and development”.

In the statement, Murray Dietsch, Programme Director, Land Rover, said: “There is a common philosophy towards engineering between Land Rover and our partners Virgin Galactic. We start with an idea and build from there, spending years refining a design and completing virtual testing before the first prototypes see the tarmac. As our partnership with Virgin Galactic develops, it will be fascinating to get closer to their team and explore common areas of engineering and expertise.

“Discovery Sport prototypes have covered approximately 750,000 miles (1.2 million kilometres) during the testing phase, in some of the world’s harshest and most challenging terrains and climates. A total of 181 prototype vehicles were built, completing over 11,000 tests over their lifetimes around the globe, ensuring total confidence in the robustness of build and design of the vehicles.”

“As we look to launching the world’s first spaceline, Virgin Galactic continues to push boundaries and develop pioneering new innovations that bring to life our vision,” said George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic. “In engineering and design, like Land Rover, our focus is on precision, ingenuity, and unparalleled design.”