DBX Aston Martin DBX Concept

[Beemer B773ER]

What they need to do is become the British Porsche. Build a new line up of 4WDs as your main sellers and have your iconic sports cars sell the brand heritage.

 

[bimmerjph]

As an engineering student of The University of Alabama (which is in Tuscaloosa), I'm performing sacrificial offerings to make this true.

 

[bimmerjph]

What they need to do is become the British Porsche. Build a new line up of 4WDs as your main sellers and have your iconic sports cars sell the brand heritage.

Isn't that what they are planning on doing?

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin DBX crossover confirmed for production
Aston Martin has confirmed it will build a production version of the DBX concept, as the company celebrates receiving an extra £200 million worth of investment.

In a statement, the firm says it will “develop significant new luxury models that will drive the future of the company under its strategic business plan.

“Under the plan, the company will expand into the luxury GT crossover market with the introduction of a new vehicle based on the DBX concept.”

The extra £200 million in funding will be supplied in the form of preference shares, half of which have already been released. The other half will be released in the next 12 months.

Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer said: “This additional long-term funding, will enable us to add extra model lines and broaden our presence in the luxury market segment by the end of the decade. The DBX concept has generated interest far beyond our expectations.

"The additional investment announced today will allow us to realise the DBX and other new luxury vehicles that will form the strongest and most diverse portfolio in our history.”

The Aston Martin DBX Concept, a surprise unveiling back at the Geneva motor show in March, pointed towards the British manufacturer's plan to expand its model range to appeal to new types of customer.

Aston Martin said the DBX Concept, which represents a radical diversion for the brand, was "created to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment [and] reach out to a more diverse global audience than ever before".

The DBX Concept was designed by Aston Martin's chief creative officer Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

It represents a major evolution of the company's design language. The four-seater is said by Aston Martin to "major on day-to-day practicality. It offers generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay can both accept passengers’ belongings".

The concept's exterior bright work is made of machined billet aluminium and the 'black pearl chromium' pain has been designed to offer a level of reflectivity that cannot be obtained through normal paint finishes.

The interior features exposed nubuck leather, which "contrasts with the concept’s hard, high-tech equipment".

The DBX Concept uses electric motors mounted inboard of the wheels and powered by lithium sulphur cells. The electric steering is a drive-by-wire arrangement. The toughened glass is auto-dimming, and the driver and front passenger have bespoke head-up displays.

Active LED exterior lights, carbon ceramic brakes with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and rearview cameras in place of conventional mirrors also underline the mould-breaking nature of this luxury GT concept.

“A concept car such as this should, in my view, challenge conventional thinking and explore the art of the possible. In the DBX Concept, I believe we have created a new type of luxury car that can not only broaden the appeal of Aston Martin to a whole new generation of customers, but sit with pride alongside the rest of our range," said Palmer.

Aston has also revealed its financial results for 2014, where it made revenues of £468 million and earnings of £66 million.

The company said the addition of new models lines would “help drive future growth, always ensuring that Aston Martin builds the world’s most beautiful cars that deliver true sporting ability with passion and refined luxury."

Source: Autocar

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Love it. So unique

 

[Rainer271]

Aston Martin aims to attract woman buyers with DBX crossover

Aston Martin DBX concept at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

Due in 2019
Aston Martin has expressed its intentions of attracting woman buyers with the upcoming DBX which will represent the firm's first ever crossover.

Due most likely in 2019, the vehicle was previewed back in March at the Geneva Motor Show by a concept which will evolve into a production version that could be assembled in United States. Aston Martin's CEO Andy Palmer says the five-door crossover will expand the company's market by attracting affluent women who are on the look for a safe premium car offering "flexibility and room for the children."

Billed as a "luxury GT crossover", the Aston Martin DBX will require a £200 ($306 / €273) million capital investment increase and will be just one of the many new models planned by the British marque which has already announced its intentions of replacing all current cars by the end of the decade. The first of the bunch will be a successor for the DB9 which has already been caught on camera testing with a turbocharged engine and is rumored to receive the DB11 nameplate.

In addition, Aston Martin has already dropped a hint about a new entry in the company's lineup by launching a Rapide-based electric vehicle with a total output of 1,000 bhp (745 kW).

Source: autonews.com

 

[Deleted member 1071]

A magnificent marque. And I sincerely hope that they will do very well in the future. The current Vanquish is breathtakingly stunning. The DBX concept is very pleasing to the eye as well. And I am confident that the DB9s' successor will be an automobile to lust for.

 

[Wolfgang]

DBX is our Qashqai, says Aston Martin CEO

Andy Palmer explains how 2019's DBX is aimed at a new type of customer, just like the Qashqai from his Nissan days

Following the announcement last month of a £200m injection of funds and confirmation that the DBX concept will make production, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer, has shed more light on the thinking behind Aston’s most radical model ever.

Shown in three-door concept form at the Geneva show in March (the production model will have five-doors), the all-electric DBX is aimed at “white space” according to Palmer and “not dissimilar to the Qashqai in that respect.”

He added: “We think there is a different space to the traditional SUV. Why? Because we make beautiful cars and it’s hard to make a beautiful SUV. It’s hard to make a box beautiful.”

Palmer reinforced that the DBX is part of a three-part strategy he calls the ‘Second Century Plan’. Phase one is ‘Stabilisation’ – by replacing the sports car line up including a new DB9, Vantageand Vanquish – phase two is ‘Core Strengthening’ and phase three is ‘Portfolio Expansion’, which is where the DBX comes in.

“Us, Bentley, Rolls-Royce; we are all in a race to bring SUVs, crossovers, high-sided saloons, whatever you want to call them, to market. We are in a race for that kind of customer,” Palmer explained. A source revealed that we won’t see the DBX until 2019, however, by which time battery technology will have matured allowing a range of over 300 miles and performance befitting of an Aston.

Ultimately, diversifying the product range is all about securing the long-term financial future of the company. “Ferrari uses merchandise, but our way out is the DBX,” said Palmer. “You can’t create enough working capital with just 7,000 cars a year whichever way you look at it. You’ve got to extend the portfolio somewhere, and I’d rather do this than sell caps and t-shirts.”

There are big plans for the rebirth of the Lagonda brand, too, which starts with the Taraf, but will continue with a family of four-door saloons to take on Rolls-Royce and Bentley, but with a sportier twist.

“We didn’t bring back the Lagonda brand to let it die for another forty years,” said Palmer. “It will never be huge volumes, but I can certainly imagine something in that chauffeur-driven space.”

Source: Autoexpress

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin DBX - crunch time
Sports car based crossover or Merc GLE-derived SUV? Aston's Andy Palmer on the brand's new direction

Aston Martin's SUV could be a sight more sporty than we realised. Having initially said the DBX would be built on a separate platform to the forthcoming sports car replacements, boss Andy Palmer is now saying the company is seriously considering building it on a modified version of the aluminium architecture used by the next DB9 (or whatever it'll be called).

"The most obvious configuration is to do a derivative of the next DB platform," he told PistonHeads earlier this week. "There's a fair few changes to move from a low-down car to a high-up car but that's definitely one of the options."

Could 585hp GLE AMG yet underpin fast Aston SUV?

Ever since it showed off the divisive DBX concept at Geneva earlier this year, Aston Martin has always made very clear that this is a crossover rather than an SUV. That's not going to convince many PHers to buy one over a 'low-down car' when it arrives around 2019 but it might end up being a more convincing vehicle that initially thought, especially with lots of lightweight aluminium underpinning it.

Palmer said that any plan to build it on a Mercedes SUV platform - previously mooted as a GL-based Lagonda - is virtually dead. There was some sense to the idea, given Mercedes parent Daimler is also supplying the turbocharged V8 engines and electric gubbins like infotainment systems for next-gen Aston sports cars. "They clearly sit in a very different space to the one we want to go to. They're very much an SUV and we don't want an SUV," Palmer said of cars like the Mercedes GLE. However he did say that there was the possibility of using some parts from the Mercedes bin.

What is looking more likely is that it will be built in the United States rather than Gaydon. Palmer said that Alabama (where Mercedes makes SUVs) is the "obvious choice" for a second plant, so perhaps we shouldn't write off a reskinned Mercedes altogether yet.

Anyway, given this project's primary role is to ensure the company has enough cash to make hairy and mostly uncomplicated sports cars then we should applaud it. On that score, Palmer had a nice line in a speech he gave to a conference in London focusing on future technology earlier this week. "The only autonomous thing I can imagine for an Aston is a button that says 'drift'," he said. It got a big laugh.

Source: PistonHeads

 

[Rolf]

No no no it looks terrible! To me Aston Martin and SUV is not a match up! This is a sports car brand and as a sports car they look fantastic! Don't follow the Porsche root and bring out an SUV, the styling will suffer a lot.

 

[Wolfgang]

The latest update.

Aston Martin DBX production in Alabama is “obvious choice”, says company CEO
Won't use Mercedes-Benz GL platform
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer says Alabama is the "obvious choice" for establishing a factory to build the DBX.

About a month ago we heard Aston Martin was analyzing the prospects of manufacturing the DBX at a new factory in United States and now company CEO Andy Palmer told Automotive News Europe that Alabama is the "obvious choice", but a final decision will be taken by the end of 2015. He went on to specify the DBX's main markets will be United States and China, but opening up a factory in China would be difficult since Aston Martin would have to team up with a local automaker to create a joint venture.

In addition, Palmer said it would be more difficult for AM to export vehicles from China which is why a U.S. plant in Alabama is the right way to go, especially since it will be close to where Mercedes-Benz makes its SUVs. Manufacturing the DBX at the company's Gaydon factory in UK is theoretically possible as the plant has a maximum capacity of 15,000 cars per year but adding the DBX to the assembly line would be a strain since there wouldn't be any room left for stoppage for maintenance. However, Palmer did admit an expansion of the UK factory is still being considered.

Source: autonews.com via WCF

 

[bimmerjph]

The latest update.

Aston Martin DBX production in Alabama is “obvious choice”, says company CEO
Won't use Mercedes-Benz GL platform
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer says Alabama is the "obvious choice" for establishing a factory to build the DBX.

About a month ago we heard Aston Martin was analyzing the prospects of manufacturing the DBX at a new factory in United States and now company CEO Andy Palmer told Automotive News Europe that Alabama is the "obvious choice", but a final decision will be taken by the end of 2015. He went on to specify the DBX's main markets will be United States and China, but opening up a factory in China would be difficult since Aston Martin would have to team up with a local automaker to create a joint venture.

In addition, Palmer said it would be more difficult for AM to export vehicles from China which is why a U.S. plant in Alabama is the right way to go, especially since it will be close to where Mercedes-Benz makes its SUVs. Manufacturing the DBX at the company's Gaydon factory in UK is theoretically possible as the plant has a maximum capacity of 15,000 cars per year but adding the DBX to the assembly line would be a strain since there wouldn't be any room left for stoppage for maintenance. However, Palmer did admit an expansion of the UK factory is still being considered.

Source: autonews.com via WCF

Is the GLC a part of the GL platform? If not, thats interesting that Alabama would be an "obvious" choice. Unless Mercedes is bringing GLC production to Alabama as well.

I really love the idea of the most expensive car made in the US being made in Alabama. It shows we aren't the in-bread rednecks that some think we are.

 

[Wolfgang]

It's a bit different from the GL, and there's a chance it might come to Alabama lateron. Latest info about the DBX crossover GT suggest it might be based on Aston Martin's new DB11 platform, and yes, size wise seems to be somewhat similar to the GLC, so a few parts could possibly be shared.

 

[bimmerjph]

It's a bit different from the GL, and there's a chance it might come to Alabama lateron. Latest info about the DBX crossover GT suggest it might be based on Aston Martin's new DB11 platform, and yes, size wise seems to be somewhat similar to the GLC, so a few parts could possibly be shared.

Just curious, whats your personal opinion on where it will be produced?

Also, do we know what the market placement will be for this car? Is it supposed to be more of an entry level car or priced more like that of a DB9 and Vanquish?

 

[Wolfgang]

^ Suspect there's a good chance it may come to Alabama. The DBX design chief recently talked some about the new crossover GT with Road and Track, including the market placement.

Q&A: Aston Martin DBX designer Marek Reichman
The mind behind the design gives us a sense of where a product like electric DBX concept will take Aston.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-sho...ith-aston-martin-dbx-designer-marek-reichman/

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin CEO shows off DBX concept painted in Mako Blue
Likely to be built in United States
Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has released several images with a DBX concept painted in Mako Blue.

This isn't a brand new color as Aston Martin has been offering Mako Blue ("Blue Lightning") for several years after it originally debuted on the 2008 V12 Vantage RS concept. The lighter hue allows us to take a better look at the concept's design which is being billed by the British marque as a "luxury GT crossover." It has already been confirmed for production as part of a £200 ($306 / €273) million capital investment increase and will likely be produced in Alabama, United States as Andy Palmer says this location is the "obvious choice."

Expected to come out in 2019, the Aston Martin DBX will gain rear doors and is unlikely to be based on the Mercedes-Benz GLS. Instead, it will use an adaptation of the company's upcoming brand new sportscar platform which will debut on the DB9 successor next year. AM has previously confirmed they want to attract more women buyers with the DBX (name not final) which aims to be a safe premium vehicle providing "flexibility and room for children."

Source: andyataston via WCF

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin looks at more than 10 sites for new factory

LONDON -- Aston Martin is reviewing more than 10 sites in Europe, the U.S. and other global locations for a new factory to build its first crossover.

A company spokesman for the UK automaker told Automotive News Europe that the “evaluation of multiple global locations continues,” adding that more than 10 locations are in the running.

Aston Martin needs a new plant for its DBX crossover because its only factory in Gaydon, central England, has no room for expansion.

Last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron told BBC News that he would “make available” a former air force hanger in Wales for production of the crossover.

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has previously said that the company is considering locations in the UK and U.S. for the plant with Alabama an “obvious choice” because the automaker's industrial partner, Daimler, builds Mercedes-Benz SUVs in Vance, Ala.

Daimler has a 5 percent stake in Aston Martin and the German company will be supplying engines and electronics such as infotainment systems to Aston’s next generation of cars.

Aston Martin is targeting sales of about 3,000 a year for the DBX as part of a plan to more than triple annual sales to 15,000 from around 4,000 last year to allow the company to be consistently profitable.

Aston Martin’s board will consider options for the plant in October, the Financial Times reported last week.

 

[Heisenberg]

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin Boss on DBX Crossover

“That’s the big question,” he admitted, “and where we will make it is dependent on grants and logistic costs. I’m a business guy, and I’ve got to be able to fund the program properly. I hope production of all Aston Martins will stay in the U.K., that’s all I can say at the moment.”

He also admitted that it is likely to share Daimler architecture, but said that he is keen it sticks with Aston’s familiar aluminum construction. If things go according to plan, it’s also set to be a major player within the premium-SUV segment.

“The market [for the DBX] is probably 4000–5000 units, but the honest truth is that nobody knows until [the Bentley] Bentayga launches. There’s nothing in that space,” he said. “Then there’s going to be a rush—the Lamborghini, the Maserati, the Rolls-Royce, and us. I’d say that no matter the size of that market we’re always going to be at the upper end of it, and if necessary I’d put a cap in there.”

Car and Driver

 

[Rolf]

As much as I know SUVs and cross overs are becoming THE cars especially for sale in the US, its a shame that Aston Martin has to bring out its own version, they should stick to sports cars and sports saloons, as their beautiful styling will be spoiled by a high body.