The first production model from Aston Martin’s revived Lagonda brand will be a super-luxury "radical" electric SUV to be launched in 2021 to rival the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga.
The 114-year-old brand is being relaunched as a stand-alone maker of futuristic, high-tech luxury cars. That was previewed by a Lagonda Vision Concept saloon at this year’s Geneva motor show.
While the first production Lagonda will be an SUV, a teaser image released by the firm shows that it will follow the same bold design language. Marek Reichman, Aston's design boss, previously told Autocar UK that future Lagonda models would be "game changers" in the super-luxury class.
Aside from confirming, it will feature a battery electric powertrain and offer four-wheel drive, Lagonda has yet to reveal any technical details of the machine. Aston says it will be built around “near-future technologies” and promises an SUV that is “supremely luxurious”.
Each car will be hand-built on Aston’s new dedicated electric car architecture. Producing an SUV as a first electric car echoes a trend of other firms because the high-riding design of crossovers can easily accommodate the space required to place the batteries in the floor of the car.
The ‘near-future’ technologies are likely to include semi-autonomous systems, with the help of an as-yet-unnamed technology company based in Silicon Valley, California.
Aston boss Andy Palmer said: “In reviving one of the most iconic names in motoring, we have created a unique opportunity. One that allows us to cast aside an inherited 20th-century approach and instead design cars around 21st-century demands and desires.
“The Lagonda SUV is the first of its kind: a spacious, high-performance 4x4 that successfully reconciles a love of technology, luxury and style.”