Aston Martin’s DBX SUV is proving to be such a sales success, the brand will look to expand its high-riding portfolio with another model or more expensive variants in the future.
In Australia ahead of this weekend’s opening 2022 Grand Prix race in Melbourne, Aston Martin chief creative officer Marek Reichman told CarsGuide to expect more SUV offerings in the future.
“Will we strengthen SUV? Absolutely, because it’s an important part of the make-up of our product portfolio,” he said.
But fans of Aston Martin’s touring cars like the DB11 needn’t worry, as Mr Reichman explained that Aston’s expansion of SUV offerings won’t necessarily come at the cost of its two-door models, much like the strategy that Porsche employed with its Cayenne, Macan and now Taycan.
“You might imagine the core of who we are, our [Porsche] 911 is DB. whether DB continues as DB? I’m not answering that question, but a 911 is the core of Porsche,” he said.
“They have an incredibly powerful line-up of SUVs, which is providing the monetary funds to support the core. They have an incredibly powerful line-up of EVs, which is providing monetary funds to support the core, because without the core, you don’t really have the historical reference point, which is so important.”
When asked if the next Aston SUV will be a mid-sizer to compete against the likes of the Macan, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5, Mr Reichman said the brand would not chase volume and introduce anything underneath the DBX, but would instead push further upmarket.
“We are an ultra-luxury brand, and what makes you ultra-luxury?” he said.
“You’re exclusive, and you have a price point. So, our price point will only go north, and our exclusivity will only go north.”
It seems likely then, that Aston Martin has the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in its sights, which kicks off in Australia from $659,000 before on-road costs.
For reference, there are two versions of the Aston Martin DBX available in Australia, the $356,512 unnamed entry-level variant, and the top-spec DBX 707 priced at $428,000.
The latter currently holds the title of the world’s most powerful SUV, with its AMG-sourced 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 punching out 520kW/900Nm.
Mr Reichman said Aston Martin’s second factory, which opened in 2019 to build the DBX in Wales, will likely also serve as the manufacturing facility for its future SUV plans.
“If you think about it, we have one factory in Gaydon [and] we have our second factory, which is solely dedicated to SUV in St Athan,” he said.
“Right now, there are three variants off the one platform, so who knows in the future.”
Keyword: Aston Martin planning on SUVs that will be even more expensive than DBX with its sights set on ultra-luxury models like Rolls-Royce Cullinan