Cars
Land Rover Launches New Discovery Sport
Land Rover’s new Discovery Sport, the compact premium SUV, has been transformed to make it more efficient, technologically-advanced as well as greater practicality, keeping its occupants safe and comfortable in any conditions. Embracing the adventurous spirit that has defined the Discovery family for the past 30 years, the new Discovery Sport is a striking evolution of the original that does not compromise capability.
Demonstrating versatility in a finer form, the spacious, more comfortable and quiet 5+2 interior has been transformed with a completely new infotainment interface and latest connectivity, plus a more flexible seating arrangement with up to 24 combinations. Under the skin, new electrified engines include a 48-volt mild hybrid from launch to help reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, said: “Building on the success of the original Discovery Sport, this beautifully proportioned vehicle has been refined, enhancing its characterful exterior which compliments the engaging nature of the interior space.”
Trademark Discovery design cues, including the clamshell bonnet, rising beltline and tapered roof remain, but the new model is a bold exterior evolution. The proportions have been optimised to project a more striking visual with new signature LED headlamps at the front and rear, alongside an updated front grille and bumpers.
Inside, the arrival of the digital Touch Pro infotainment system and the introduction of more premium materials throughout transforms the cabin to create a practical, high quality space. New seats across each of the three rows provide improved comfort and versatility, thanks to the second row 40:20:40 split fold and slide functionality, boosting the possible number of seat combinations to 24 and covering every eventuality – be it the school run or a family holiday.
Felix Brautigam, Chief Commercial Officer at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Discovery Sport has been a real sales success for Land Rover, leading the way for the past three years and selling almost half a million vehicles to date. During that time, it has won a number of awards and introduced a large number of new, younger families into the brand who are looking for something different.
“The new Land Rover Discovery Sport is a true Land Rover that embodies what the Discovery family stands for: amazing versatility that allows our customers and their families to make more of their world. While the exterior design has undergone a refined evolution, the all-new Premium Transverse Architecture revolutionises comfort and handling and supports electrification with our advanced Mild and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle powertrains.”
The new Discovery Sport is available in S, SE and HSE trim, in addition to the R-Dynamic variant that marks itself out with Shadow Atlas script on the bonnet and tailgate. Inside, branded treadplates further differentiate it from the core model.
Discovery Sport’s unique versatility has been further enhanced, with improved small item stowage across all rows and a 20 per cent increase in fuel tank capacity (up to 65-litres). With the option of Land Rover’s Activity Key, the compact SUV is more usable than ever and designed to take your family further.
Built on Land Rover’s latest Premium Transverse Architecture (PTA), the Discovery Sport provides greater versatility and refinement with a new body that is 13 per cent stiffer than its predecessor and, together with rigidly-mounted subframes that reduce noise and vibration intrusion into the cabin, ensures maximum safety in the event of a collision.
Designed with electrification in mind, PTA allows for the introduction of a new 48-volt mild hybrid electric vehicle (MHEV) powertrain on Discovery Sport. First launched on the new Range Rover Evoque, the system uses an engine-mounted belt-integrated starter generator to harvest energy normally lost during deceleration and stores it in an under-floor battery.
At speeds below 17km/h (11mph), the engine will shut off when the driver applies the brakes, before redeploying the stored energy to assist the engine under acceleration to reduce fuel consumption. The new engine and transmissions are refined, quiet and efficient to drive, ensuring that whether on the school run, a drive into the country or heading to the Alps, they offer notable efficiency savings.
Available across the range of four-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, the mild hybrid delivers CO2emissions from as low as 144g/km CO2 (NEDC equivalent) and fuel economy up to 40.9mpg (6.9l/100km) (based on WLTP test procedure). An even more efficient plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model and three-cylinder petrol Ingenium engine will also join the range later in 2019.
New Discovery Sport is one of the first of the Land Rover range to use Real Driving Emissions stage 2 (RDE2) certified engines, ahead of their mandatory introduction in 2020. By tracking emissions using a real-world on-road test in addition to traditional laboratory measurements, customers can be certain the latest Ingenium diesel engines available on the compact SUV are cleaner and more efficient than ever.
The most efficient Discovery Sport model will be the Front-Wheel Drive 150PS diesel with manual transmission, offering emissions from as low as 140g/km of CO2 and fuel economy from 47.8mpg (5.9l/100km). To maximise efficiency, models with All-Wheel Drive (AWD) benefit from Driveline Disconnect – a Power Transfer Unit at the front axle that disconnects drive to the rear wheels under steady state cruising, reducing frictional losses and re-engaging AWD in less than 500 milliseconds.
Designed to meet the digital demands of a modern family, the latest Discovery Sport is available with a ‘smart rear view mirror’ that transforms into a video screen at the flick of a switch to display what is behind the vehicle in crisp high definition. Offering a wider (50-degree) field of vision and superior visibility in low light conditions from a camera mounted above the rear window, the mirror ensures rear visibility is not compromised by second row passengers or bulky items in the boot.
Ground View technology has been introduced to help drivers navigate high city centre kerbs or tackle rough terrain by projecting camera imagery that offers a virtual 180-degree view beneath the vehicle onto the touchscreen. Effectively making the bonnet invisible, this is the realisation of Land Rover’s Transparent Bonnet technology, first previewed in 2014.
The digital transformation does not stop there. Wireless charging for compatible mobile devices is introduced for the first time within the lower centre console, alongside USB and 12-volt connectivity points on every row, ensure passengers remain charged and connected. Second and third row occupants also benefit from individual heating and ventilation controls to make the space more comfortable.
For regular drivers of the new Discovery Sport, Smart Settings uses artificial intelligence algorithms to learn driver preferences, adjusting massage and seat positions, music and climate settings and steering column positioning to suit each driver.
The latest Discovery Sport is every inch a Land Rover, combining assured all-terrain handling with all-weather capability, including a wading depth of 600mm, All-Wheel Drive and a second-generation Active Driveline system (engine output dependent). Terrain Response 2 automatically detects the surface and adjusts the torque delivery to best suit the conditions, while Advanced Tow Assist makes reversing with a trailer (up to 2,500kg) more intuitive and safer than ever.
There is a reversing camera as standard on all models, alongside a suite of advanced driver assistance systems. This includes Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, which centres the vehicle in the lane based on road markings as well as maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Other active safety features include Lane Keep Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Driver Condition Monitor.
On the road to Neue Klasse, the BMW Group will be showcasing the outstanding innovations of future vehicle generations at Auto Shanghai 2025. “Innovative strength, a pioneering spirit and sheer driving pleasure – these characteristics are deeply rooted in BMW’s DNA,” says Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “In the Neue Klasse, they can be experienced by our customers on a whole new level: the user interface is even more intuitive, the design even more progressive and the driving experience even more precise and dynamic. By the end of this year, we will be putting the mobility of the future on the road”.
The smart display and operating concept BMW Panoramic iDrive and the lightning-fast Heart of Joy central computer take centre stage at the auto show.
- The BMW Group presents the BMW Panoramic iDrive in a version specially developed for the Chinese market.
- The Heart of Joy centrally calculates all driving dynamics functions and raises the hallmark BMW driving pleasure to a new level with ten times faster information processing. BMW presents the Heart of Joy in the specially developed high-performance test vehicle BMW Vision Driving Experience, which shines in a spectacular, luminescent paint finish.
By the end of the year, the iX3 will be the first Neue Klasse model to roll off the production line at the new plant in Debrecen (Hungary). The BMW Vision Driving Experience is presented to the public for the first time in Shanghai: It is a high-performance test vehicle with no connection to series production, which BMW has designed as a rolling laboratory for optimising the Heart of Joy drive and driving dynamics control system.
“The BMW Vision Driving Experience is equipped with the “Heart of Joy” – one of four super brains specifically developed for our software-defined Neue Klasse models,” says Jochen Goller, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Customers, Brands and Sales. “The Heart of Joy takes every aspect of sheer driving pleasure to the next level. Starting with the launch of the first Neue Klasse model, the “Heart of Joy” will beat in every all-electric BMW model”.
The four super brains combine the computing power for the most important customer functions: infotainment, automated driving, basic functions and driving dynamics. In this new, zonal electronics architecture, the Heart of Joy is responsible for drive, braking, charging, recuperation and partial steering functions. In conjunction with the BMW Dynamic Performance Control software, the system, which was developed entirely in-house, calculates all driving dynamics functions. It processes information ten times faster than previous systems and achieves latencies in the millisecond range. There will be control units with comparable functions for combustion engines and hybrids.
As the “world’s fastest test rig”, the BMW Vision Driving Experience takes the Heart of Joy and BMW Dynamic Performance Control to their absolute limits. With a maximum torque of 18,000 Newton metres and active aerodynamics, it generates 1.2 tonnes of downforce and lateral forces of up to 3G – a dimension on par with Formula 1 and far beyond the requirements of conventional vehicles in road traffic. The logic behind this: If the hardware and software can tame the brute forces of this test rig, they can easily cope with the demands of everyday use.
In Shanghai, the BMW Vision Driving Experience shines in an innovative, fluorescent paint finish. The paint’s special light-sensitive pigments recharge in daylight, with even the smallest amount of ambient light sufficient. In the dark, the colour varies from a whitish yellow to an expressive neon yellow, depending on the state of charge. In addition, the rear of the car has been fitted with a “magic film” which, when stimulated by UV light, creates an expressive gradient from yellow to orange to pink from the rear to the front of the car. These special looks underline the uniqueness and innovative power of the car. Like the vision vehicle, they are not intended for series production.
The Auto Shanghai at the National Exhibition and Convention Center has become the largest auto show in the world. More than one million visitors are expected from April 23 to May 2, 2025. Across almost 5,000 square meters, the BMW Group presents the latest products of the BMW and MINI brands. An oversized installation of the complete BMW Panoramic iDrive display and control system is the focus of the exhibition space. The road to Neue Klasse leads guests along a “road” across the exhibition. On display will be a BMW 1500, the historical model of the Neue Klasse from the 1960s, as well as the visionary vehicles BMW Vision Neue Klasse and BMW Vision Neue Klasse X. The BMW Group will showcase a total of 42 vehicles at its largest exhibition booth in the world.
BMW M celebrates more than 25 years of cooperation with the Nürburgring with the exclusive special edition BMW M4 Edition Nürburgring. This special edition vehicle, which is only available in China, is limited to just 53 units to mark the 53rd anniversary of BMW M. Specific design elements make reference to the world’s most famous racetrack. The BMW Individual Frozen Deep Green metallic paint finish is a nod to the “Green Hell”.
The red Nürburgring Nordschleife logo is embroidered on the headrests and the frameless radiator grille is also framed in this striking red. The uniform “nürburgring 1/53” lettering in the door sills symbolises that the vehicle is part of an exclusive special edition. The edition based on the BMW M4 Competition with M xDrive has the familiar in-line six-cylinder engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and generates 390 kW/530 hp. This not only enables acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (60 mph) in 3.5 seconds or 3.2 seconds according to the “1-foot rollout” method, but also highly dynamic driving on the racetrack – tried and tested on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, of course.
EXEED by Al Ghurair celebrated the unveiling of its electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid models in the UAE, with an exclusive launch event at Skydive Dubai on 9 April 2025. The premium automotive brand is reshaping the region’s sustainable mobility landscape, combining innovative technologies and performance to offer superior driving experiences.
EXEED is redefining the future of mobility with the launch of its fully electric models: the EXLANTIX ET SUV and the ELANTIX ES – EXEED’s first sedan. Equipped with the Super Hybrid Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) technology, both models deliver an exceptional driving range of over 1,000 km. At the heart of this line-up is the Qualcomm-powered technology. Prioritising safety, the models have received a 5-star C-NCAP & CIASI rating, 88% high-strength steel, and advanced airbags, alongside cutting-edge driver assistance technologies for effortless control.
Designed for those who demand versatility and endurance, the EXLANTIX ET SUV offers both pure electric and range-extended powertrain options, featuring EXEED’s pioneering Golden Range Extender Technology to eliminate charging anxiety. A high-performance adaptive air suspension system ensures a premium, smooth ride, rivalling luxury SUVs. With a drag coefficient of 0.266Cd and a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.9 seconds, the ET seamlessly blends efficiency with power, while offering passengers exuding comfort in zero gravity seats. Furthermore, it offers Arabic voice command, and an intelligent cockpit that puts drivers in control with minimal effort.
The ELANTIX ES is a bold expression of avant-garde design, blending aerodynamics with artistry for a striking yet efficient silhouette. With a 0.205Cd drag coefficient, it enhances energy efficiency while ensuring a smooth, whisper-quiet ride. Engineered for precision handling and optimised weight distribution, the ES delivers an exhilarating 0-100 km/h acceleration in just 3.7 seconds. Its sleek aesthetics coupled with dynamic performance, offers an unmatched fusion of innovation, elegance, and driving excitement. Inside the sporty frameless door design encompasses a D-shaped steering wheel ready to give drivers a racing feeling of handling and grip.
EXEED has also introduced the RX Plug-in Hybrid SUV that balances power and efficiency. Powered by the Super Hybrid REEV System, it delivers a total range of over 1,300 km and maintains real-world fuel efficiency as low as 1.2L/100 km of a full charge. The model is equipped with a Three-Speed Super Hybrid Transmission generating 445KW of power through 11 gear combinations, ensuring a responsive yet smooth ride. The safety is reinforced by a high-performance CATL battery, enhanced with EXEED’s M3P material system, which delivers real-time diagnostics and can cut power within just 2 milliseconds in the event of a collision. Also, designed for extreme conditions, it operates reliably across a wide temperature range of -35°C to 60°C – ideal for the UAE’s harsh climate.
With its Smart Hybrid REEV technology system, advanced safety measures, and long-range capabilities, the RX PHEV stands as a strong addition to EXEED’s new energy line-up. EXEED also opened its flagship showroom on 9 April 2025, located on Corniche Street in Abu Dhabi. This state-of-the-art facility will offer customers an immersive introduction to the brand’s electric future, with futuristic art installations, interactive digital advisors and EXLANTIX merchandise and products.
“This launch is about more than just new models, it’s about EXEED defining the future of electric mobility in the region. With our industry-leading new technology, full EV and hybrid range of vehicles, and the introduction of the UAE’s first dedicated EXEED EV showroom, we are taking a major step forward in delivering intelligent, high-performance electric vehicles. The future of driving is here, and EXEED is at the forefront of this transformation,” said Oscar Rivoli, Chief Executive Officer of Motors, an Al Ghurair Mobility business.
MAHY Khoory Automotive, the exclusive distributor of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in the UAE, proudly announces the upcoming launch of the DONGFENG 007, at EVIS Abu Dhabi 2025, the Middle East’s premier electric vehicle innovation summit, taking place from April 21 to 23 at the ADNEC Centre. This highly anticipated electric vehicle combines futuristic design, cutting-edge performance, and long-range sustainability, marking a breakthrough moment for the UAE’s growing EV market. With an exceptional driving range of up to 1,200 kilometres on a single charge, the DONGFENG 007 is engineered for forward-thinkers who demand power and innovation without compromise.
Beneath its sleek exterior, the DONGFENG 007 is powered by an advanced electric motor capable of delivering 160 kW of maximum power and 310 Nm of torque. The launch reflects the vision of MAHY Khoory Automotive to bring world-class, sustainable mobility solutions to the UAE, and reinforces the brand’s commitment to redefining the future of driving through technology and performance. Visitors at EVIS 2025 will have the opportunity to experience this electric marvel firsthand and learn more about the advanced features that make the DONGFENG 007 a standout in its segment.
As part of the wider MAHY Khoory Group, which boasts nearly a century of excellence across industries such as automotive, green energy, recycling, and manufacturing, MAHY Khoory Automotive plays a key role in shaping the UAE’s transition to a more eco-conscious transportation ecosystem. The Group also represents OMODA JAECOO in Abu Dhabi and is recognised for its leadership in sustainable innovation. At EVIS 2025, MAHY Khoory Automotive’s presence will spotlight not only the DONGFENG 007 but also the company’s broader dedication to high-performance EV solutions.
“We’re proud to debut the DONGFENG 007 in the UAE, a car that represents a perfect fusion of performance, innovation and environmental responsibility, and we strongly believe this is the perfect electric vehicle for the region,” said Saj Jabbar, General Manager, MAHY Khoory Automotive. “This launch is more than just an exciting product announcement; it’s a commitment to shaping the mobility landscape in a way that aligns with the UAE’s clean energy goals. EVIS Abu Dhabi is the ideal stage to introduce this vision, and we look forward to welcoming media, partners, and EV enthusiasts to witness it up close.”
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