Aston Martin launches DB11 in India at Rs 4.27 crore

The fast-evolving Indian luxury car market has in recent years drawn the biggest global carmakers to the country. With the growing demand for supercars among Indians, British brand Aston Martin is eyeing a bigger share of the pie with its new launches.

Barely 11 days after the luxury carmaker rolled out its first DB11 supercar from the Gaydon production line, the supercar has been launched in India.

The DB11 is priced at Rs 4.27 crore (ex-showroom). The successor to the DB9, the DB11 becomes the first series production Aston to use a twin-turbocharged engine.

Unveiling its latest supercar offering in India on October 8, the carmaker said that it plans to sell more cars in 2017 than ever before. Since five years of its operations in India, the British brand has sold just over a 100 cars, with nearly 70 percent of its sales coming from the West and the South regions.

With the addition of the DB11 to its line-up, Mumbai-based Performance Cars, which is one of the official importers for the brand in India and the dealer for the West and South regions, expects to sell 18 cars in 2017.

The DB11 is the first of the seven new models announced globally by the carmaker, under its Second Century plan. The successor to the DB9, the DB11 becomes the first series production Aston to use a twin-turbocharged engine. The new DB11 is powered by a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that develops 608hp and 700Nm of torque, making it the most powerful unit to be fitted to a DB road car. 

The biggest talking point about the new Aston is the engine. The all-new 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 was developed in-house by the company and pumps out 608hp and 700Nm of torque making it the most powerful unit to be fitted to a DB road car. Power is channelled to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox with steering mounted paddle shifters. The car also comes equipped with a mechanical limited slip differential with active torque vectoring – a first for an Aston Martin.

The DB11 features the company’s new design language that was introduced in the DB10 used in the James Bond movie Spectre. Highlights of the new design include a bigger, bolder interpretation of Aston’s iconic grille and the pressed aluminium, forward-hinging clamshell bonnet, shrink-wrapped to the engine bay. The car also gets all-LED head- and tail-lamps.

According to Gaurav Parikh, marketing manager, Performance Cars, "The DB11 will appeal more to people who are seeking exclusivity along with supercar performance. We already have eight bookings for the car and along with the Rapide, which is the highest selling model for the company, we are looking to sell around 15-18 cars in 2017."

The roadshows for the car are planned in Mumbai and Bangalore on October 16-17, in Chennai on October 19-20 and in Hyderabad on October 23-24.

The DB11 is a huge leap forward for Aston as it embodies the shift in the company's approach to all its future cars. It will set the base for the next generation of Vantage, Vanquish and DBX SUV, and for that, it seems like just the car for the job. 

The new DB11 is longer, wider and lower than the DB9, at 4,739mm long, 2,060mm wide and 1,279mm tall. Additionally, the wheelbase is 65mm longer, with Aston emphasising the car’s capabilities as a true 2+2 grand tourer. The increased wheelbase has allowed Aston to position the engine further behind the front axle to provide 51:49 front and rear weight distribution.

TThe DB11 also borrows aerodynamic elements from the Vulcan race car. The car features vents in the front wheel arches called ‘Curlicue’ that vent high-pressure air to decrease lift. Another borrowed element is 'AeroBlade'. The system uses high speed ducted air to increase downforce over the rear end. Additionally, the car gets a deployable rear spoiler that deploys at high speeds to increase downforce.

Inside, the cabin is more spacious than its predecessor thanks to the car’s increased length, width and wheelbase. The car retains certain Aston Martin design cues such as the flowing centre console but gets a host of new technology. The instrument cluster is an all-digital affair with a 12.0-inch TFT display in place of analogue dials. The centre console also houses an 8.0-inch infotainment display with the option of a touch pad controller with character recognition, multi-touch and gesture support.