New York isn’t exactly short on razzmatazz, but as the sun rises on the city that never sleeps today there is slightly more anticipation in the air than normal. And it’s all because of the new Range Rover Sport… and James Bond.

Car launches don’t normally capture pages of column inches in the mainstream press, but Land Rover appears to have pulled off something of a coup by signing up Daniel Craig to unveil the new Range Rover Sport in its biggest single market, on the eve of the New York motor show.

The car company won’t confirm anything, but after some filming in the city a few months ago, the mega-bucks project ramped up a gear over the past few days as blocks of roads were closed for rehearsals ahead of tonight’s unveiling.

As the local press tells it, the film will show a Range Rover Sport being crated up and then being driven around selected locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Locals know there’s a flooded tunnel and a helicopter involved, too, as they’ve watched it being filmed – and because the stuntman involved blabbed.

Then there’s a live finale, in which reports suggest that Craig will parachute in to the unveiling and then drive the new car on stage. All in, it has the makings of a presentation worthy of 007, as well as reminding hardcore car enthusiasts like us that a) Land Rover is a thriving British success story and b) the very best (profitable) cars deserve more than a smattering of applause as a cover is pulled off by a grey suited CEO.

If you get the Bond thing, you can watch this apparent blockbuster live by going to the official Range Rover Sport unveil page.

After that – or if you don’t really do Hollywood – then rest assured that autocar.co.uk will bring you the full Range Rover Sport technical story, plus exclusive images from the reveal.