It looks like the new Aston Martin will have a new flagship designed to rival such best-of-breed creatures as the Mercedes McLaren SLR and the Bugatti Veyron. Codenamed the DBX and inspired by the Aston Martin Zagato, it's expected to feature much of the same technology used in the forthcoming DBS (pictured here) "in a smaller, more potent package," reports Auto Express.
The DBX would ride on A-M's vertical horizontal (VH) aluminum and composite chassis and be powered by a tuned 6.0-liter V12 serving up more than 700bhp through a six-speed manual gearbox. We're talking 205 mph or more and 0-60 in less than 3.7 seconds. Why manual? More fun. How much? At least £350,000, making it Aston Martin's priciest ride ever.
Aston Martin is also speeding up development for the DBS and the Rapide, and plans new hiring to accelerate production at the already profitable company from 6,000 to about 9,000 vehicles per year.
Kudos to Aston Martin head Ulrich Bez and Prodrive chairman David Richards, who led the investment group that snatched A-M from Ford, for moving this iconic carmaker forward so quickly. As an old friend of the family used to say, change is good. It sure has been good for Aston Martin.
Ultimate Aston [Auto Express]
