‘All-new Discovery is built to go anywhere’

• Automaker charts pathway for auto sector in Nigeria

The Land Rover family is renowned across the world for adaptability in all road condition, and the all-new Land Rover Discovery, the brand’s most capable family sport utility vehicle (SUV) is no difference, particularly when it comes to off-road technologies.

The vehicle, which is due to arrive showroom in Nigeria through Coscharis Motors later in the year, may be the automaker’s best yet when one considers why no compromise was made on its versatility. The inside is designed with room to seat up to seven adults and at least 45 litres of storage spaces for any family.

Specifically designed for adventure, recently at the Jaguar Land Rover Training Academy in Pretoria, South Africa, the new vehicle ventured into the street to reaffirm the commendation it has received globally.

The height of such experience as the 250kW supercharged petrol 3.0-litre V6 machine, which provides 450Nm of torque to deliver relaxed performance and capability rumbled into the road, displaced its off road capability. At the press of the right button, no mountain, road or load could tame the rugged Discovery.

When journeying through the mountains in the Limpopo Province, forcing it ways into Chiefs Camp in the Big-Five territory of Marakele National Park, the Discovery remained in a class of its own, providing unrivalled confidence when tackling both waterlogged tracks and flooded roads.

Apart from what the discovery can do on the road, it is easy to use, gentle and specifically designed for the 21st century family in mind.

Offering up to nine USB ports and six 12-volt sockets, the central armrest cubby of the Discovery is large to occupy at least five iPads, while re-engineered ‘Curry Hook’ now sits flush, until pushed, and can be used to secure shopping bags.

Indeed, the brand’s Sales Operations Director, Jaguar Land Rover, sub-Saharan Africa, Nigel Clarke, was specific on the difference the vehicle would make in a market like Nigeria.

He was certain that the vehicle lovers would have the chance to experience the vehicle as the company prepares to launch in the market in Nigeria, Kenya, and Angola later this year.

Away from Discovery, Clarke was worried about automotive development in Nigeria, urging government to prioritise its automotive policy to enable the country achieve projected objectives.

“I would be more interested to know about the automotive policy that seems to have not been as progressive as it could have been. And I think when you’ve got entrepreneurs such as Dr. (Cosmas) Maduka, I mean they can really help the economy have some influence to really input into any future automotive policy.

“The Nigerian automotive policy should really work for the populace, because you’ve got what, I don’t know the population, but I think it’s 170+. So, it makes absolute sense in job creation and local components, etc. But it has to be done in a very strategic way, and with the right governance and quality of manufacturing,” he said.

To him, “One of the challenges we have across Africa, not only in Nigeria, is that you have a massive growing market. Now that does help in terms of getting people into cars and be able to drive, because let’s face it, if you haven’t got a good public service transport, then you do need the populace to have access to cars. So, on one hand the growing market suits that, but equally what it does do is that it brings cars from America, and from the Middle East.”

He observed that these cars do not have the same specification, and that the engines are not calibrated for the local type of fuel. “So, on the one hand, the customer might feel that he has got a bargain, on the other, in a more relatively short term due to the quality of the fuel, and that car will suffer some challenges and potentially costly services, because it is the wrong specification  for the car.”