Geneva Motor Show: Aston Martin DBX Concept cue to new crossover GT

The Aston Martin DBX Concept, a surprise unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show today, points towards the British manufacturer's plan to expand its model range to appeal to new types of customer.

Aston Martin said the DBX Concept, which represents a radical diversion for the brand, was "created to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment [and] reach out to a more diverse global audience than ever before".

The company stated that the DBX Concept is by no means production ready, but is "a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future".

However, Aston Martin chief executive Andy Palmer confirmed that there were plans to enter a car into the space occupied by the DBX in the future.

“The DBX Concept is a challenge to the existing status quo in the high luxury GT segment," said Palmer. "It envisages a world, perhaps a world not too far away, when luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.

“I asked my team at Aston Martin to expand their thinking beyond conventions, to explore what the future of luxury GT motoring would look like in years ahead, and the DBX Concept is the result.”

The DBX Concept was designed by Aston Martin's chief creative officer Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

It represents a major evolution of the company's design language. The four-seater is said by Aston Martin to "major on day-to-day practicality. It offers generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay can both accept passengers’ belongings".

The concept's exterior bright work is made of machined billet aluminium and the 'black pearl chromium' pain has been designed to offer a level of reflectivity that cannot be obtained through normal paint finishes.

The interior features exposed Nubuck leather, which "contrasts with the concept’s hard, hi-tech equipment".

The DBX Concept uses electric motors mounted inboard of the wheels and powered by lithium sulphur cells. The electric steering is a drive-by-wire arrangement. The toughened glass is auto-dimming, and the driver and front passenger have bespoke head-up displays.

Active LED exterior lights, carbon ceramic brakes with a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and rear view cameras in place of conventional mirrors also underline the mould-breaking nature of this luxury GT concept.

“A concept car such as this should, in my view, challenge conventional thinking and explore the art of the possible. In the DBX Concept, I believe we have created a new type of luxury car that can not only broaden the appeal of Aston Martin to a whole new generation of customers, but sit with pride alongside the rest of our range," said Palmer.