LONDON: Aston will roll out a new sports flagship in the coming years, replacing the long-serving DB9. But, with volume to be found in other segments, the company is working hard on the next phase of its growth.
New Aston boss Andy Palmer said that, beyond the core sports programme, the company is focused both on moving into SUVs and replacing the Rapide.
Describing the company’s ‘three-legged’ strategy, Palmer said: “first is replacing the entire sports-car range; second is the DBX, and that appeals to a different set of audiences; and the third is the sports sedan”.
The recent DBX crossover concept was our first look at the company’s latest plan for an SUV offering, after an earlier Lagonda-badged concept failed to win hearts.
But don’t expect the DBX to enter production in the jacked-up three-door outfit it wore to March’s Geneva Motor Show.
Palmer told Car & Driver that a five-door design will be prioritised, along with a more accessible and capable rear storage space – although practicality will not be the driving goal.
It won’t be an entirely new creature, however. “It’ll change but conceptually it’s correct,” Palmer said. “It will get a little higher, a little taller. But the overall dimensions are not far off.”
As for the DBX’s all-electric drivetrain, the road-going version will reportedly be offered instead with at least one petrol engine and a plug-in hybrid powerplant.
Next in line is the Rapide’s replacement, which, despite only recently adorning the boot lid of an ultra-exclusive offering to select customers, will wear the Lagonda badge.
Palmer offered few details on what we can expect from the new sedan or four-door coupe’s design, but one point was clear: “[it] will carry that beautiful badge”.
Importantly for buyers, the new Lagonda will be a more affordable and more widely available offering than the Lagonda Taraf special revealed in 2014.
