A sporting discovery—The new Land Rover Discovery Sport

PARIS, France—The new Land Rover Discovery Sport made a very British debut yesterday, a day ahead of the Paris Motor Show. A pair of Discovery Sport vehicles made a dramatic debut aboard a giant barge on the iconic River Seine to mark the arrival of the brand’s new premium compact SUV.

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The two Discovery Sports put on a show of Land Rover capability, flanked by seven pairs of giant Wellington boots which represent the new SUV’s versatile 5+2 seating layout, by wading through deep water and climbing up a steep grassy gradient—all aboard a specially fitted barge.

British supermodel and Transformers star Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, fresh from the runways of Paris Fashion Week, made a surprise appearance as she presented the new Discovery Sport on Land Rover’s own floating catwalk, with a pair of humungous Union Jack-designed Wellington boots as backdrop.

After revealing the new Discovery Sport to the world’s media for the first time, the 80-meter long barge continued to turn heads on its attention-grabbing journey down the Seine, cruising past Parisian landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Highlighting the significance of the new premium compact SUV, Discovery Sport will be the only vehicle displayed on the Land Rover stand throughout the first media preview day of the Paris Motor Show (2nd October).

“Designed and engineered to be the world’s most capable and versatile premium compact SUV, this is a vehicle that will appeal not only to existing Land Rover customers but to a whole new group of people who may never have considered Land Rover before,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer. “It is quite simply the most accomplished vehicle in its segment.”

Land Rover’s global sales continue to go from strength to strength after a record year for vehicle sales in 2013. Last year Land Rover set a new full-year sales benchmark, retailing 348,338 vehicles – up 15 percent – and this year looks set to be another record-breaker. The Discovery Sport will be produced at Land Rover’s award-winning manufacturing facility in Liverpool and go on worldwide sale in 2015.

Here’s a sneak peek of the Land Rover Discovery Sport debut:

Photo by Manny N. de los Reyes