"We are on a transformational journey," explained McGovern during a pre-Paris Motor Show press event. "We're on a brand strategy to create three distinct families: Range Rovers, Discoveries and Defenders."
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The new Range Rover brand is now well-established, with the Evoque, the Sport and the full-size model, which is still known simply as Range Rover. However, McGovern hints that there are further "white space" market segments for Range Rover to explore.
Discovery is next, starting with the Sport model, which makes its global debut at the Paris Motor Show. It will be launched in New Zealand next April.
This is another white-space model like Evoque: it takes the production spot of the Freelander, but it's not a replacement because it's larger and more upmarket. So expect pricing to start higher than the $65,000 of the Freelander.
Land Rover's Discovery Sport, to be launched here in April, will be a step forward in comfort and technology.Pictures / supplied
Nor does it take the place of the full-size Discovery: there will be an all-new version of that vehicle revealed "in the very near future", McGovern says.
Discovery Sport is about the size of an Audi Q5 - a model that Land Rover is clearly setting its sights on - but the compact footprint is combined with the unique selling proposition of "5+2" seating. Third-row seating is possible due to a new design of multi-link rear suspension and a sliding second-row seat.
Sport represents a major departure for the Discovery brand in terms of both styling and technology. McGovern embraces that: he's very aware of Land Rover's heritage, but does not seem sentimental about it.
In this, the 25th anniversary year of Discovery, McGovern describes the iconic first-generation version as "no great shakes design-wise". He acknowledges that the third-generation version was significant for its bold design, but also sees it as "a Marmite car. You either love it or hate it".
McGovern says the new Discovery family - of which Sport is the first - must be "relevant and contemporary", without compromising on engineering integrity and practicality.
A broader range of talents is an integral part of the plan: "When you think of Discovery you tend to think of the country and Sport will still be used there. But it will also have an urban orientation. It's a family/lifestyle vehicle, but families want desirable vehicles as well. That's not just a remit for sports cars."
McGovern says that interior design is more important for Discovery than any other Land Rover. The interior of the Sport has familiar themes to other Land Rover products, which McGovern describes as "premium but not precious".
Packaging is Sport's unique selling proposition. The third-row seating is intended to be only occasional (hence the "+2" designation): it's suitable for teenagers, or adults at a pinch. More to the point, the sliding second row means that the Sport can offer almost as much rear legroom as the full-size Range Rover. Visibility remains good because the second and third rows are mounted stadium style, each slightly higher than the row in front. Every seating position has a USB charger. Even with the third row specified, there's still a space-saver spare wheel (you get a full-size with the five-seat version).
This new-generation model means a leap in comfort, convenience and safety technology.
The clunky Land Rover media interface is gone, replaced by a slick eight-inch colour touch screen system called InControl, with swipe and pinch capabilities. It will link to Android and Apple phones with a range of approved applications. The satellite navigation is now SD card-based for easier updating.
The Discovery Sport has a forward-facing stereo camera system and radar that enables a number of new driver-assistance features, including autonomous emergency braking (at up to 80km/h), lane departure and blind-spot warnings, and high-beam assist for the headlights. Electric power steering allows for self-parking technology and the Sport also has pedestrian protection in the form of a bonnet-mounted airbag.
There won't be an opportunity to drive the Discovery Sport until next year. But here's what we know: it's loosely based on the Evoque platform, it draws on the existing pool of Land Rover four-cylinder engines (including a nine-speed transmission) and it will feature technologies such as torque vectoring and adaptive magnetic dampers for top models.
Land Rover is adamant that Sport will still be a mighty off-road vehicle, with the Terrain Response system, the ability to climb 45-degree slopes and 600mm wading ability.
Engineering integrity you expect in a Land Rover. What's changed in the new generation is desirable design that attracts people without polarising them, says McGovern: "It's about having an emotional resonance with customers. That's what's changed [with recent models] and that's why our vehicles are now selling much better. They are desirable designs in their own right."
McGovern is not just design director, he's also been on the Land Rover board of management since 2008 and the Jaguar Land Rover executive committee since 2009.
He might be a man of great influence at Land Rover, but McGovern emphasises that creating a product like the Discovery Sport is a hugely collaborative process. As always, the dry humour is not spared: "It's about working together. I've been in the business a long time and it hasn't always been like that: years ago, the engineers thought the designers were flower arrangers and the designers thought the engineers belonged to the Flat Earth Society. That's changed completely now."
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