No one is safe. Not Ferrari, not you, not the Earth.
From what, you ask? The SUV Renaissance, of course, which has just claimed its latest victim as Aston Martin confirmed its first SUV today.
Wait, didn’t they already announce this? Yes, but as we reported back in July, the details were basically nonexistent. Now, Aston Martin has confirmed the crossover will officially be called the DBX and will be unveiled at the end of 2019.
Those details were guessed at before, as the marque is undeniably aware, so to accompany the announcement they’ve released the first photos and footage of “the first development prototype being put through its paces along a demanding Welsh Rally stage in the hands of the company’s Chief Engineer, Matt Becker.”
Being an early prototype with a mesmerizing optical illusion camouflage wrap, the debate over the design minutiae is a little premature. As for the debate over iconic sports car manufacturers pivoting to SUVs — that is one online screaming match we can condone. Here’s a question to pose in your comment thread of choice: will the DBX be James Bond’s first SUV?
We were hopeful Aston Martin wouldn’t simply follow in the footsteps of the Porsche Cayenne, Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the like when they announced the Lagonda line of electric SUVs. But in today’s announcement, the company said that while its brand spankin’ new St Athan facility will eventually be the “Home of Electrification” for EV models, the (supposedly gas guzzling, potentially hybrid) DBX will be built there first.
“DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in St Athan,” said Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “As such, it is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”
From here, it looks like just an SUV. Let us know when lil’ electric Lagonda comes around.
All photos via Aston Martin Lagonda
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