Aston Martin has filed trademark applications for the name Vanguard in the U.S., Europe, and Japan, hinting at another possible new model for the British automaker.
First spotted by CarBuzz, the trademark filings follow Aston's tradition of using names that begin with the letter V for sports cars and supercars, such as Vantage, Vanquish, Valhalla, and Valkyrie. So it's possible the automaker is just trying to take possession of another name that fits the pattern without specific plans to use it. The automaker previously trademarked the Varekai and Valen names in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but hasn't used them yet, for instance.
Aston Martin earlier this year announced a new model to be unveiled as part of its 110th anniversary celebrations, but it's probably a bit late to be applying for a trademark on a name for that model. The automaker also plans to launch its first EV, an electric sports car, in 2025 and then an electric SUV after that. Those models haven't been named, so maybe Aston is planning to call one of them Vanguard.
The Vanguard trademark filings come shortly after Aston applied to trademark the DB12 name, continuing its other naming tradition of cars with the prefix DB. The current thinking is that the DB12 name will be used for an updated version of the DB11 grand tourer, which has already been spied testing and is likely to debut as a 2024 model.
Aston Martin Valhalla
It's going to be a busy few years for Aston, with several other new or updated models planned.
The Vantage sports car is scheduled to receive a round of updates, but will probably keep its name, unlike the DB11/DB12. Aston will then introduce the plug-in hybrid Valhalla hypercar in 2024, and possibly a mid-engine Vanquish supercar in 2025.