Aston Martin has confirmed that its upcoming SUV, the company’s first, will be named DBX and join the Aston Martin stable in the last quarter of 2019.
A prototype has started its real-world testing program at the Welsh Rally and is scheduled to visit some of the harshest environments on the planet to make sure it has all the ruggedness of a sport-utility in a package that is commensurate with the premium luxury of an Aston Martin.
“DBX is a very different kind of Aston Martin,” said Chief Engineer Matt Becker, who took the wheel of the test prototype in Wales. “We will be testing it in all conditions and across all terrains to ensure it delivers a driving experience worthy of the wings-badge.”
“We have already developed and tuned DBX in the driving simulator, which has enabled us to make excellent progress in advance of the first physical prototype cars being available,” said Becker. “Still, it’s always a big day when you get to put the first actual miles on an early prototype and I’m delighted with the near perfect correlation between the simulator and this prototype. As an engineer, it’s genuinely exciting to get a feel for the car you’re working to create.
The first drive marked the beginning of real-world testing, which will see prototypes spread out to all parts of the world, including cold weather testing in the Arctic, scorching hot climates in the deserts of the Middle East, high speed runs on German autobahns and on the Nürburgring, and breathless runs through Alpine passes.
DBX will be produced at Aston Martin Lagonda’s state-of-the-art St Athan facility in South Wales — the manufacturing plant that will ultimately produce Aston Martin’s fully-electric models.
“Seeing a DBX development prototype in action is a momentous chapter in the story of our first SUV, for it is the moment it really comes alive,” concluded Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Andy Palmer. “DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in St Athan. As such, it is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”