Aston Martin SUV starts testing 14 | 11 | 2018

    ASTON MARTIN HAS started testing its new performance off-roader. Badged the DBX, the brand’s first SUV will go on-sale at its Scottish dealership in 2020. (Related: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera)

    Set to go head-to-head with the likes of the  Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus in the battle for upper-crust SUV sales, it’s likely the DBX will cost around £140,000 when it enters showrooms.

    The car, which will be one of the most important in Aston Martin’s 105-year history, was first previewed as a design concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

    Aston-Martin-DBX-Prototype-2-copy.jpg

    Today’s images show a development mule, and that itself hints the production car will look very different from the show car. While the Geneva car was  three-door coupe, the DBX will most definitely be a five-door SUV

    The images hint of the fact the DBX will take on the new family face established by the latest Vantage, while the pronounced rear haunches pay tribute to Aston’s grand tourer line-up.

    Aston-Martin-DBX-Prototype-3.jpg

    Power is likely to come from the company’s 4.0-litre V8, which has already seen service in the Vantage and DB11 V8. While an all-electric version is highly unlikely, we should expect a hybrid model to appear in the range. The company has already committed to its plans to electrify its entire line-up, with hybrid or pure-electric variants of every model planned by 2025.

    Aston-Martin-DBX-Prototype-4.jpg

    The DBX will be the first Aston Martin to be built at the carmaker’s new £250million factory in St Athan, Wales. Production of the actual DBX will start next Spring, at the very earliest, with the final expected to be revealed in the final quarter of 2019; most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

    Aston-Martin-DBX-Prototype-7.jpg

    Today’s images show the mule being pushed through a punishing testing regime on the Welsh roads and off-road tracks, some of which were gravel stages of the Wales Rally GB. Elements such as the set-up of the suspension system and powertrain, and the car’s brand new, bespoke platform are the focus of the test.

    Related: Scots Aston Martin dealer is World No1

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    Jim McGill

     

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