Land Rover has recently unveiled the first vehicle in its new Discovery lineup --- the seven-seat Discovery Sport, which is expected to hit the markets in early 2015.

The new Discovery Sport - which will cost $38,920 for the base model - will be the mid-tier vehicle in Land Rover's evolving three-tier global lineup. The SUV will be positioned above the company's entry-lux Defender; and below the Range Rover for high-end luxury SUV buyers.

With the new all-wheel-drive Discovery Sport, which was previewed at the New York auto show in April, to replace the LR2 in the Land rover lineup, Alfardan Premier Motors said in a Sunday announcement that Discovery Sport is "the world's most versatile and capable premium compact SUV."

Set to challenge vehicles like Audi Q5, BMW X3, Acura RDX and the redesigned Volvo XC90, the newly-unveiled Discovery Sport will boast Land Rover's aluminum architecture.

The new Discovery Sport SUV will have a body shell of high-strength steel and aluminum, and will be powered by a 240-hp engine. Some of the other features of the SUV will include a nine-speed automatic transmission along with six-speed manual transmission, a standard 8-inch infotainment screen, and new safety features such as autonomous braking.