See-through bonnet for serious offroaders

Pretoria, South Africa – Land Rover this week revealed its revolutionary Discovery Vision Concept SUV in New York. It is a vision of Land Rover’s future family of Discovery vehicles, the first model of which is due in 2015. The concept car previews a dynamic new design and an array of versatility and capability features, while also introducing pioneering technologies from Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced research division.
Describing the new Discovery as the SUV of the digital age, BBC Autos said it is the most advanced all-wheel drive vehicle ever.
The Discovery Vision Concept was unveiled alongside a scale model of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft at a spectacular event aboard the USS Intrepid – a sea, air and space experience centre – in Manhattan, a day ahead of the opening of the New York Auto Show 2014.

One of the most exciting pioneer technologies incorporated in the new Discovery is digital vision of the terrain immediately in front of the car.  It accomplishes this by recreating an image in the lower part of the windscreen for the driver. This image is captured by camera in the grille.
“Cameras located in the vehicle’s grille capture data used to feed a Head-Up Display, effectively creating a ‘see-through’ view of the terrain through the bonnet and engine bay, breaking new ground in visual driver assistance.
The technology, named Transparent Bonnet by its creators, shows how advanced technology will take Land Rover’s unrivalled capability to the next level.”
The technology enables a driver climbing a steep incline or manoeuvring in a confined space to see an augmented reality view capturing not only the terrain in front of the car but also the angle and position of the front wheels.
With the Discovery poised to transition from a single model to a new family of vehicles which will redefine the leisure SUV category, the Discovery Vision Concept offers an exciting preview of Land Rover’s vision for the range, and the modern, premium design language of future models.
Phil Popham, Group Marketing Director, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “We announced at the Geneva Motor Show in March that the Discovery family is set to evolve.
 And it is apt that in the 25th anniversary year of the original Discovery that we preview how this evolution will take us forward into a daring new era.
The Discovery Vision Concept gives us the first stunning glimpse into this hugely exciting future.”
Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology for Jaguar Land Rover said: “We believe the next 25 years will be the most exciting and dynamic the automotive industry has ever experienced.  There will be huge strides in environmental innovation, in safety and capability. “As our vehicles become more capable and autonomous off-road, we will ensure the driver has the confidence to allow the car to continue to progress, over any terrain.  We are developing new technologies including the Transparent Bonnet to give drivers an augmented view of reality to help them tackle anything from the toughest off-road route to the tight confines of an urban car park.” The concept demonstrates Land Rover’s design vision for a future family of premium SUVs built on Land Rover’s key principles of emotive design, unrivalled capability and ultimate versatility.  From the city to the sand dunes, Land Rover’s new, driver-assisting technology will enable safer, smarter and more enjoyable driving in the SUVs of tomorrow.