The latest in a long line of luxury brands has confirmed that it too will be fielding an SUV in the very near future.
Aston Martin has confirmed its offering will be called the DBX and the first prototype is undergoing testing now, pictured banging over a stage of the Welsh Rally with Chief Engineer, Matt Becker, at the wheel.
It signifies the start of ‘real world’ testing, in which the SUV will be subjected to a punishing regime that will ultimately see development prototypes of the all-new machine tackle some of the world’s harshest environments, from the frozen Arctic and scorching deserts of the Middle East to high Alpine passes and the high-speed demands of the German autobahnen and Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Speaking of his drive in the DBX development prototype, Becker, said the company had already developed and tuned the DBX in the driving simulator.
“Still, it’s always a big day when you get to put the first actual miles on an early prototype and I’m delighted with the near perfect correlation between the simulator and this prototype,” he said.
“As an engineer, it’s genuinely exciting to get a feel for the car you’re working to create. DBX is a very different kind of Aston Martin, but we will be testing it in all conditions and across all terrains to ensure it delivers a driving experience worthy of the wings badge.”
DBX is scheduled to be unveiled in the last quarter of 2019 and will be built at Aston Martin Lagonda’s St Athan facility; a state-of-the-art luxury manufacturing plant that will ultimately become the ‘Home of Electrification’ when the marque’s fully-EV models enter production.
Wonder how long it will be before we see 007 driving one in the new James Bond movie?