Aston Martin will jump into the luxury SUV game when the DBX
enters production in 2019. Until then, the British brand will continue to work
hard on the SUV, including developing a new platform.
Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker told Road and Track in an interview published Tuesday that
the SUV's new platform takes learnings from the company's other cars, "but
there's a lot more suspension technology going to go into [the DBX]."
Becker wouldn't go into detail about the suspension technology, though he
shared the DBX will feature an active anti-roll system and triple-volume air
springs.
Becker added the suspension technology is necessary when
dealing with a large vehicle like the DBX. "It's physics at the end of the
day, and you need additional help to overcome those physics," he said.
The brand teased the forthcoming SUV in
April 2017 showing a vague outline of the vehicle's shape. We also learned the
car will stick to extruded and bonded aluminum for the construction—the
same process used for Aston Martin's sports cars. However, while 2015's DBX
concept featured an electric powertrain, the production SUV will not.
CEO Andy Palmer confirmed the electric
option had been axed in April, as Aston Martin's revived ultra-luxury
brand Lagonda will be for EVs. Instead, the Aston SUV will arrive with a
conventional engine and likely a hybrid option. The CEO also ruled out a
plug-in hybrid and called a diesel variant "dead."
When the SUV does debut, it could wear the Varekai name. In
March, a trademark filing for the name surfaced, which translates
to “wherever” in a Romani language or “talented” in Quebec slang.
Production will take place at the St. Athan, Wales,
production facility, while Aston Martin will keep sports car production at
its current plant in Gaydon, England.
source: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1117751_aston-martin-plans-new-platform-for-suv
by Sean Szymkowski
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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