9:08 am, March 4, 2009
NEWS of a shock return for Lagonda heads up our coverage of the Geneva Motor Show on our website today.
Car Dealer’s deputy editor Richard Aucock is reporting live from the event and our site is packed with the latest new cars unveiled and key interviews with company bosses.
But back to that news Lagonda is returning – and it’s with a truly amazing SUV concept that’s going to take on the new Rolls-Royce!
Aston Martin chief Dr Ulrich Bez has totally stunned the crowds here at Geneva, by unveiling what could be the concept of the show.
Pencilled in for production in 2012, the new motor is based on Mercedes’ massive GL SUV. It packs a huge V12 engine. Has a roomy and lavish interior. Plus the most amazing body we’ve seen.
The front is tall, vertical, dominant, with a massive grille that’s just unmissable. The side lines are clean and pure, on a scale that dwarfs even adults standing alongside it.
And the rear? With its stubby tail and shallow, rectangular rear window, it’s just like something out a black and white mob film – and all the more cool because of it.
Why is it here? Because, Dr Bez has just told us, Aston Martin is, and will remain, a sports car maker. This means the cars are limited in practicality, in ground clearance, in drivetrain options.
There are 200 countries in the world, he said – Aston is represented in 32 of them. But there’s potential for sales in over 100.
This is why the Lagonda is a four-wheel-drive SUV, with lots of ground clearance and easy access. It’s almost intentionally designed without prioritising metropolitan Western Europe cities. Hence the scale, the ground-crossing ability, the sheer enormity.
Car Dealer is genuinely staggered by it. In time, there will be diesel, flexfuel, even hybrid versions, all using Mercedes-Benz components. It goes on worldwide sale in 2012, perfectly timed for the hoped-for global recovery.
Prices? Think Rolls-Royce level. But, believe us, this car also has the impact and the class of a Rolls-Royce.
Let’s hope it’s a great British rebirth in the making!
MORE FROM GENEVA:
Gallery: Our review of the key cars
Gallery: The girls from Geneva
