Aston Martin’s first-ever SUV has been revealed in near-production form. While rumours previously suggested that it would be called the Varekai, the brand has now confirmed that the SUV will officially be called the DBX, just like the concept that it was first revealed as in 2015. The near-production DBX SUV has been photographed undergoing testing at the gravel stage at the Wales Rally GB.
The production-ready DBX will stray from the three-door design of the original concept and opt for a sleek five-door layout instead. Built on an all-new platform, the DBX will share this architecture with the new Lagonda sedan and SUV.
The DBX will be manufactured in a new purpose-built factory in St Athan, Wales. The SUV is speculated to come with Aston’s own V12 and the Mercedes-AMG-sourced V8 at launch, with the German carmaker also providing the electrical architecture for the SUV. A hybrid version will make its way to the line-up at a later date. This hybrid model will play a key role in trying to attract female buyers to the Aston Martin brand. As the DBX will share its base with the Lagonda sedan (scheduled to launch in international markets in 2021), both models will be produced in the same factory.
This is going to arguably be an important car in Aston Martin’s history and definitely the most important car under the brand's current CEO, Andy Palmer. This is because every car released under Palmer’s ‘Second Century’ plan so far has been a replacement to an existing model (DB11, Vantage, DBS Superlagera) while the DBX will be an all-new model.
Upon its arrival in the international market prior to end 2019, the Aston Martin DBX will compete with the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, Rolls Royce Cullinan, Lamborghini Urus and the upcoming Ferrari SUV.