Aston Martin has no intention of building a spiritual successor to the luxurious Rapide sedan even if such a vehicle would help it achieve its target of becoming an even more premium brand.
With Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll leading Aston Martin into a new age, the company will launch the new DB12, a re-imagined Vantage, a DBS replacement, and the mid-engined Valhalla over the coming 18 months as part of a bold product offensive. A sedan could help the firm broaden its reach and serve as the perfect companion to the DBX SUV but alas, it’s not going to happen.
“Definitely no sedan,” Aston Martin head of product and market strategy Alex Long told Car Sales.
Read: New Aston Martin DB12 Eschews V12, But Promises To Be A Better Driver’s Car
It is understood that the business case for a new sedan simply doesn’t make sense for Aston Martin. Additionally, the success of the DBX means there’s no need for a luxurious four-door sedan that would play the role of the more practical model in Aston’s range.
“We have a very bold objective to create the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British performance brand,” Long added. “We’re setting very lofty objectives, specifically for each [vehicle] program but also overall for the brand. And there’s a big step change – in the confidence that’s behind the company now, but also in the way the company is resourced.”
Long said that Aston Martin is now in a position that allows it to “ride different trends and waves.”
The brand’s latest new model, the DB12, may essentially be a thoroughly facelifted and revised version of the DB11 but it does bring with it new features and more performance. The most significant update made is the roll-out of a new 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 from Mercedes-AMG that is good for 671 hp and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm). This gives it more grunt than the V8-powered DB11 with its 528 hp and 513 lb-ft (695 Nm) and even the V12 version of the DB11 that was rated at 630 hp and 516 lb-ft (699 Nm).
