Land Rover Relaunches Discovery Nameplate, With A Rocket Ship: Video

Ahead of the New York Auto Show this week, Land Rover has revealed its new Discovery Vision Concept, alongside a full-scale replica of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise—the world's first commercial spaceship.

The occasion is more than just glitz, glamor, and the chance to hit tired sci-fi taglines surrounding the relaunch of the Discovery, which is kicking off a new Land Rover sub-brand of its own.

First off, it's a relaunch for the Discovery nameplate here in the U.S., where it was dropped a decade ago—at the end of a particularly dark period for the brand's reliability and reputation—in favor of alphanumeric model names (like its successors, the LR3 and LR4) and a fresh image.

It also marks a new global partnership between Land Rover and Virgin Galactic—one that will culminate in future marketing activities as well as potential joint educational opportunities for future generations to pursue related careers in engineering, science, math, and technology. Land Rover will also keep a fleet of vehicles at Virgin Galactic.