Land Rover news - Blurred vision - 2007

Oh, you big teases, you. While other manufacturers were unveiling extravagant, over-wheeled concepts in Frankfurt, Land Rover's only hint about its design future came in the shape of this dark, brooding image and a short film.

So what is it? According to Landie insiders, it's a coupe-crossover that's due to launch before the end of the decade. If you want an idea of size, the film showed the 4x4 parked up evenly between a larger Discovery and a smaller Mini - so it's a potential competitor for the upcoming Audi Q3.

The urban crossover will be lower and smaller than the Freelander, but could be a more 'premium' product - expect customisable bits and buckets of cost options. It'll be the least off-roadish of the Land Rover range, too.

One reason for Landie bringing out a smaller model is to reduce its overall CO2 emissions, and it's possible that the production version could even feature a hybrid drivetrain.

Before that, though, we should see a proper three-dimensional concept at the Detroit show early next year.