- Partners Land Rover and Virgin Galactic make progress in the
world of testing and development of new vehicles - on land and in
space
- New Discovery Sport entering final development phase, with
prototype fleets testing globally
- Land Rover is the first global partner of pioneering commercial
spaceline Virgin Galactic
Whitley, UK, 06 August 2014: Global partners in
adventure, innovation and exploration, Land Rover and Virgin
Galactic, have opened the doors on the world of prototype testing
and development. For the first time both brands compare the
parallels and complexities behind the test and development of a new
vehicle.
Both Land Rover and Virgin Galactic have used their partnership
to share values and experiences that have steered each brand to
develop cutting edge technologies for both land and space.
The pioneering partnership, announced in April this year, has
continued to make strides through Land Rover's continued
development of the new Discovery Sport vehicle while Virgin
Galactic moves closer to the launch of the world's first
spaceline.
As the new Discovery Sport enters its final testing phase, Land
Rover and Virgin Galactic, which continues its flight test and
engineering programs ahead of the launch of its commercial
spaceflight programme, are giving a glimpse of what goes into their
test and development programmes.
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 1,200,000
kiolmetres 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."
Discovery Sport will be revealed globally on September
3rd.
Download the HD video teaser (34.1MB MP4)
For further information contact:
Press Office, Virgin Galactic - VirginGalacticPress@edelman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LandRoverAustralia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LandRoverAus
Instagram: http://instagram.com/landroveraus#
#READYTODISCOVER
Note to editors:
- Land Rover Discovery Sport prototypes have covered
approximately 1.2 Million test kilometres during the testing and
development phase for the vehicle
- The vehicle was tested to water depths of 600mm
- The vehicle was tested to temperatures of -36° in
North America, to 42 ° in the deserts of Dubai
- A total of 9,767 test were carried out on the vehicle
- The car was tested to inclines of 40 degrees and declines of 45
degrees
Land Rover and Virgin Galactic Partnership
Land Rover and Virgin Galactic announced a global partnership in
April 2014 against the backdrop of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo,
the world's first commercial passenger-carrying spacecraft, and
Land Rover's new Discovery Vision Concept vehicle. The partnership
demonstrates a shared vision of pioneering spirit, technological
innovation and sense of adventure, and illustrates a desire to push
the boundaries of travel for the next generation.
Land Rover and Virgin Galactic are working together to share
engineering and design expertise for the benefit of research and
development, potential future design collaborations, exclusive
projects and dual brand immersive experiences for
consumers. Both brands have a shared dedication to inspire the
youth of today into engineering, science and technology careers
that will continue to change how we define travel in the
future.