We’re now just a couple of weeks away from the official reveal of Aston Martin’s new DB11, the long-awaited replacement for the—gracefully—aging DB9. The car will be the first to ride on an all-new platform developed by Aston Martin for its next generation of sports cars, which will include replacements for the Vantage and Vanquish.
We're hearing that those replacements will follow the DB11 in quick succession. Automotive News (subscription required) is reporting that both cars will be launched prior to the start of 2018. The best part is that these new models look to be finally addressing one of the main weaknesses of Aston Martin's current lineup: the close similarity between each of the cars.
“One could argue there is not enough separation between DB9 and Vantage,” CEO Andy Palmer told Automotive News. “One could easily cross-shop between the two.”
It’s not clear what methods of differentiation Aston Martin’s design team will be employing but hopefully the cars will come with unique styling for the exteriors and cabins as well as bigger gaps in performance levels compared to the current lineup.
2015 Aston Martin Vantage GT, 2014 New York Auto Show
The platform underpinning the cars will be a bonded aluminum design following the same “Vertical Horizontal” principles of the platform currently employed by the British automaker. The engines meanwhile are expected to include a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 sourced from Mercedes-AMG as well as a new twin-turbo 5.2-liter V-12.
Beyond the new sports cars, Aston Martin has said in the past that it will launch three additional models. One of these will be a crossover based on the recent DBX concept. Another will be a large, luxurious sedan that could be called a Lagonda. It’s not clear what the third model will be but it may be a replacement for the slinky Rapide four-door coupe or perhaps a new supercar along the lines of the One-77 or Vulcan track special.
Stay tuned for the reveal of the DB11, which will take place March 1 at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. In the meantime, learn about some of the other cars appearing at the Swiss show by visiting our dedicated hub.
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