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’s 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: “I can’t 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.
“DBX 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’s 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.
“This is a real landmark for this great British brand and I promise that DBX will reward all who experience it in their everyday lives.”
Three years ago Aston Martin took over a 90-acre site in St Athan, which included three ‘super hangars’, from the Ministry of Defence. The hangars have now been converted and the factory has already produced a number of DBX testing vehicles.
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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.
Chief engineer Matt Becker said: “We 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.
“However, 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’s overall performance have been incredibly promising.”
The DBX has a recommended retail price from £158,000 and the order books have now opened.
Dr Palmer added: “DBX 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.”
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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.
“Given 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,” said Dr Palmer.
Last year, St Athan was named as Aston Martin Lagonda’s “Home of Electrification” and the manufacturing home of the Lagonda brand. This resulted in an extra £50m investment into the new facility.
When the facility has the Rapide E – 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.
The DBX is the fourth car of the luxury marque’s Second Century Plan and signals a move into previously unexplored by the world-famous manufacturer.
In testing the DBX regularly achieved sub eight-minute Nordschleife lap times during the testing regime, for comparison that ius about the time the marque’s V8 Vantage achieves.
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.
The first 500 owners of this landmark model will benefit from an exclusive ‘1913 Package’. Fitted with a unique fender badge, sill plaques and an inspection plaque detailing its limited build-run, each of these first examples will be personally endorsed and inspected by Andy Palmer.
Throughout the cabin, DBX maintains an authenticity of materials, with judicious use of metal, glass and wood throughout the cabin.
With 632 litres of boot space and 40:20:40 split folding rear seats DBX possesses all the flexible load capacity expected of an SUV with class-leading interior space
Adaptive triple volume air suspension has been combined with the latest 48v electric anti-roll control system (eARC) and electronic adaptive dampers to provide the new SUV with a huge breadth of ability.
The luxuriously handcrafted interior of DBX has been designed to provide equal space and comfort whether sitting in the front or rear of the car.
The seats are trimmed in sumptuous, full grain leather, sourced from long term partner Bridge of Weir.
Powered by a new version of the characterful 4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine found in DB11 and Vantage, DBX features an impressive output of 550PS and 700NM of torque, carefully tuned to meet the specific needs of this model.
Class-leading headroom and legroom combines with a full-length glass panoramic roof and frameless door glass to offer a fantastically light and spacious cabin environment.
The needs of children were also considered extensively and in a new exercise for Aston Martin, a group of children were invited to share their experience of ingress and egress by sitting in an ergonomic assessment model at the company’s design studio.
A narrow load sill and broad aperture maximises the practicality for a variety of luggage, such as suitcases, golf bags and ski equipment.
The Pet package will include, amongst other things, a portable washer to help attend to the needs of a muddy dog after a walk