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Land Rover is giving its customers the opportunity to go from off-road to out-of-this-world with a new competition, which will see four people sent into space with the marque’s global partner, Virgin Galactic.
The announcement for the Land Rover Galactic Discovery competition was made during the digital revealing of Land Rover’s new Discovery Sport at Spaceport America in New Mexico, US.
The space flight prize was announced in the launch film for the new model which featured Sir Richard Branson, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, intrepid adventurer Bear Grylls and wildlife champion and Born Free actress Virginia McKenna.
Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides, said: “We share the same spirit of adventure and exploration as Land Rover and it inspires everything we do. Democratising space and giving individuals around the world from all walks of life an opportunity to see the Earth from above is at the heart of our mission as a spaceline.”
To enter the competition, aspiring astronauts and 4X4 drivers must create a 30-second video or a still image that demonstrates their spirit of adventure. They then choose three friends to join them on their space adventure and submit it via Land Rover’s website landrover.com/gotospace
Running online from now until the end of October, the winning entry will see four lucky friends head into space aboard the $250,000-per-place VSS Enterprise spaceship at a date to be confirmed.
The contest aims to highlight Land Rover’s partnership with Virgin Galactic and a tie-up which will include the use of Land Rover vehicles to shuttle commercial astronauts between the spaceport and spaceship.
According to reports, the winners will be among the first pioneering travellers to view the earth from space and experience out-of-seat zero gravity.
Meanwhile, Land Rover claims its new Discovery Sport is the world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV. The first member of the new Discovery family, Discovery Sport, features 5+2 seating in a footprint no larger than existing 5-seat premium SUVs.
“Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director and chief creative officer. “I’m proud to say we’ve achieved that; Discovery Sport’s dynamic design will resonate on an emotional level with consumers, and this vehicle is more versatile than any other premium compact SUV on the market.”
Its interior has been designed with customers at its core. It features high-quality materials and a vertical centre console graphic to reflect the premium design of the exterior, its makers say. Storage solutions are integrated into the cabin and up to four 12V power points and six USB charging sockets can be specified for all three rows of seating, allowing multiple electronic devices to be charged simultaneously.
Coupled with supple long-travel suspension, the innovative rear axle also ensures the Discovery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned.
Safety has been a key priority in the development of the new model, resulting in a first-in-class pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, and a state-of-the-art bodyshell featuring both ultra-high-strength steel and lightweight aluminium.
This represents a fraction of the advanced equipment available in Discovery Sport, which also includes head-up display, an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and tilt-and-slide row-two seating for maximum interior configurability.
When officially launched next year, the Discovery Sport will be equipped with a range of four-cylinder turbo-charged petrol and diesel engines. Both the all-alloy Si4 2.0-litre petrol engine and the 2.2-litre turbodiesel feature stop-start technology, high-pressure direct injection, low-friction internal components and smart regenerative charging for outstanding performance and economy.
Discovery Sport will be produced at Land Rover’s award-winning manufacturing facility at Halewood, Liverpool. It goes on sale in early 2015 alongside the existing seven-seat Land Rover Discovery in over 170 markets worldwide.
Prices have not yet been announced. For more details, call Euro Motors on 17750750.
