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He's taken the same approach at Land Rover, keeping an uncharacteristically low profile while the strategy clarified. Well, the legwork and research are complete and the strategy has clarified: "It's neither retro nor retro-futurism, that wouldn't be appropriate," says McGovern.

"It's not a direction based around the design icons in the Land Rover range either: the Range Rover, the Defender and quite possibly the Discovery too. They all stem from the design bible that's dictated Land Rover design for over 50 years.

"The literal interpretation of that has gone, but we've identified a philosophical interpretation we call 'Hyper Utility', which is where Premium Utility (the future Land Rover theme) comes from. There's another theme we're looking at for Range Rover-badged cars but I'm not talking about that just yet."

But he is talking about Premium Utility and, in an exclusive two-hour briefing, McGovern slowly put some flesh on the bones of the idea.

Neither the 'green glass car' (above) nor the 'modular car' (right) is intended as a replacement for any existing Land Rovers - "this is all about showing that Land Rovers don't have to be two-box cars" - but if you think the 'green glass car' is Discovery sized and the 'modular car' equates to a Defender, you would not be far wrong.

Both cars are utterly contemporary - there's nothing utilitarian or agricultural about either. "They take their inspiration from the systematic design, as well as the constructed aesthetic, people are used to seeing from things like high-end technical equipment - skis and ski boots, for example," says McGovern.

"We've all strapped on a pair of hired ski boots and been blown away with quality of the thinking and the execution of something like a fastening. We call that 'inspired functionality' and it's absolutely right that Land Rover should own that with cars."

The 'green glass car' also demonstrates the materials innovation (the bubble is all polycarbonate) Land Rover wants to make its own, a philosophical push led by the shift to aluminium structures - exposed, naturally - that Land Rover will import from its colleagues at Jaguar.

Al Kammerar, head of product development across Jaguar and Land Rover, has been closely involved. The bubble also moves Land Rover's reputation for best-in class visibility to a new level.

"It's one of the things people like best about Land Rovers," says McGovern. "And we're not going to stop giving people what they want." Well, quite, exactly.