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Aston Martin has unveiled the DBX.

The SUV, which is currently under production in south Wales, was revealed to the public for the first time today in Beijing, China.

The DBX is the fourth car of the luxury marque鈥檚 Second Century Plan and signals a move into previously unexplored by the world-famous manufacturer.

Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer said: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 emphasise enough how incredibly exciting and significant DBX is for Aston Martin. Through its development alone, this beautiful SUV has already taken the company into new territories and in inspiring directions.

鈥淒BX also marks a key moment in the delivery of the third and final phase of our Second Century Plan, not only representing the promised expansion of our portfolio but also signaling the start of production at Aston Martin鈥檚 second manufacturing plant.

"We have both delivered this model through our expertise, but also by garnering invaluable experience and knowledge from external counsel, including our Female Advisory Board.

鈥淭his is a real landmark for this great British brand and I promise that DBX will reward all who experience it in their everyday lives.鈥�

Three years ago Aston Martin took over a 90-acre site in St Athan, which included three 鈥榮uper hangars鈥�, from the Ministry of Defence. The hangars have now been converted and the factory has already produced a number of DBX testing vehicles.

With its all-wheel drive system, it is thought the DBX will allow the company to increase its presence in markets where perhaps the weather or terrain is less than conducive to rearwheel drive sports cars.

Aston Martin has also revealed that in testing the DBX has repeatedly exceeded 180mph, though the final top speed and acceleration figures will be set within the closing stages of the testing process.

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Chief engineer Matt Becker said: 鈥淲e have concentrated our work to ensure that the calibration and tune of this 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 delivers both the everyday usability and refinement expected by SUV owners.

鈥淗owever, we have also focused heavily on matching that with the engaging driving dynamics that are commanded by our brand and inherent in every Aston Martin and early indications of the car鈥檚 overall performance have been incredibly promising.鈥�

The DBX has a recommended retail price from 拢158,000 and the order books have now opened.

Dr Palmer added: 鈥淒BX is a car that will give many people their first experience of Aston Martin ownership. As such it needed to be true to the core values established in our sports cars, while also providing the lifestyle versatility expected of a luxury SUV. To have produced such a beautiful, hand built, yet technologically advanced car is a proud moment for Aston Martin.鈥�

Aston Martin SUV enters final stages of testing 听

The first delievries of the DBX are scheduled to begin in Q2 2020, production has been gearing up at the St Athan facility this year.

On a tour if the factory in the summer Dr Palmer said that 70% of their customers had a SUV and research showed they would like an Aston Martin SUV.

鈥淕iven the underlining market potential we believe that target average sales for the DBX can be achieved with around 7% penetration of the high-luxury and performance premium market,鈥� said Dr Palmer.

Last year, St Athan was named as Aston Martin Lagonda鈥檚 鈥淗ome of Electrification鈥� and the manufacturing home of the Lagonda brand. This resulted in an extra 拢50m investment into the new facility.

When the facility has the Rapide E 鈥� the first all electric Aston Martin - and the Lagonda brand rolling off the production in 2021 the number of employees will be around the 1,000 mark.