As part of their rigorous testing schedule ahead of a 2020 launch.
British luxury marque Aston Martin, famed for its beautiful grand tourers, unforgiving performance cars, and that wedge-shaped saloon they made that one time, are now well underway with testing for their new DBX, the brand’s first SUV. They’re clearly not screwing around though, as they’ve clarified (again & again) that the DBX will face a full range of challenges on- and off-road before it gets the seal of approval ahead of production & delivery.
“This car propels Aston Martin into a new segment and our engineering team are enjoying the challenges of developing a quality luxury SUV experience through this robust testing schedule. Progress is on-track and I am confident that we will deliver over and above what our customers would expect from an Aston Martin SUV.” – Matt Becker, Chief Engineer, Aston Martin
The proving grounds this time around was the Pirelli R&D Sottozero Centre in Sweden, where the DBX was subject to a tough (but rather fun-looking) set of tests on snow.
While the DBX will ride on new architecture that will eventually go on to underpin the upcoming Lagonda SUV & saloon, Aston Martin won’t stray too far from its comfort zone with the DBX, opting instead to plonk their AMG-sourced 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet and steer-clear of the battery-electric setups that will be employed by the Lagonda cars. This was revealed when observers ran the UK numberplates affixed to prototype vehicles, spotted not far from Aston Martin’s facilities in Wales.
The DBX will also serve as the first Aston Martin to offer a hybrid powerplant, though that setup isn’t expected to be offered for at least a year or two into the car’s lifecycle. The V12 will likely be available as a higher-performance, more driver-focused variant later in the DBX’s life too.
The Aston Martin DBX SUV is set to make its debut before 2019 is up, with production slated for the marque’s new St. Athan facility in Wales, which it will share with the Lagonda marque and their battery-electric products. Aston is expecting the DBX to be its bestselling model upon arrival, an assumption that’s pretty safe to make given the take-up rate of competitors like the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Lamborghini Urus.
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