RE: Aston abandons Lagonda SUV

RE: Aston abandons Lagonda SUV

Friday 18th July 2014

Aston abandons Lagonda SUV

Aston design boss says Lagonda SUV plan was of 'a different time' and a fancy four-door is the future



Talismanic former CEO of Aston Martin Dr Ulrich Bez may well have been one of the most outspoken characters in the automotive industry. But where is the company going as it heads into the post-Bez era? PH got a hint chatting with Director of Design Marek Reichman just the other day. “China is historically a four-door market,” Marek points out. “Obviously our most successful model there is Rapide.”

Lagonda SUV concept canned; no great loss?
Lagonda SUV concept canned; no great loss?
And what of Lagonda and the SUV?

“We first showed the Lagonda SUV concept back in 2009,” explains Marek. “We still have plans for the brand. There might be some surprises in the marque’s re-establishment into the market place, but as a very unique coachbuilt experience. And that’s probably what’s most befitting of the brand.”

Will Lagonda become a high-end badge, perhaps like Special Operations to Jaguar Land Rover or a limited edition model in its own right?

“It’s more. It’s the reinvention of the marque, the brand, but done in a very, very limited way. It’s not something we believe that is a mass product.”

21st-century reinvention of this might be rather cool
21st-century reinvention of this might be rather cool
When Aston Martin talks of ‘limited’ and ‘special’ and ‘not a mass product’, then you know we’re talking about a very special car indeed. It means, in all likelihood, fewer than 100 units, very exclusive and with a price tag to match. Our money is now firmly on the rumoured Lagonda four-door, pitched squarely at the emerging markets in China and the rest of Asia. And what of Dr Bez’s SUV?

“That was a different time,” interjects Marek smoothly. “It was Ulrich’s time. And now we’re in a very, very different time, with a different plan and with a different projection of what that brand should become.”

Author
Discussion

myhandle

Original Poster:

1,180 posts

173 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Surely the SUV, with different styling, based on the Mercedes GL, would be a big success.

Quickmoose

4,482 posts

122 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
YEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
....yeah so they may lose out on some cash...but..retaining some dignity is worth more.
It'll be very interesting to see if this pays off.

jimmy156

3,681 posts

186 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Interesting, I am glad at least one marque is staying away from the SUV and I'm glad it's Aston.

By the way, reading this on an iPhone there are all sorts of funny characters and nonsense words mixed up in the article.

Zumbruk

7,848 posts

259 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Good. There's enough ugly in the world already.

soad

32,825 posts

175 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Zumbruk said:
Good. There's enough ugly in the world already.
Agreed.

Prawnboy

1,326 posts

146 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
woohoo

Cotty

39,389 posts

283 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
I don't mind the front, but that ass is huge and ugly.

DoctorX

7,240 posts

166 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Hope the new saloon looks something like this:

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Secret-new-cars/Searc...

krisdelta

4,566 posts

200 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
The concept was ugly as sin, but with someone paying attention to the design it could have done for AM what the Cayenne has done for Porsche (albeit on a smaller scale). I think this is a real missed opportunity to give some financial stability to AM.

fatboy b

9,492 posts

215 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Good job! It's fugly.

B10

1,226 posts

266 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Phew

smilo996

2,754 posts

169 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Thank god for that though there will be tears in Cheshire and the Premier Club players houses. Someone should tellBentley but won't.

myhandle - great idea, might as well sell AML to Merc and move production to Germany. The employees would be really happy.

Just hope they drop plans to become a coachbuilder too.

r1ch

2,867 posts

195 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Good news, its hideous.

cullenster

60 posts

146 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Aston had a chance to build a spectacular Lagonda back in the mid 90s. But owners Ford wouldn't let them. Shame on you Ford.


DonkeyApple

54,921 posts

168 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
In other words they are broke and can't afford to build it. Stupid greedy VC monkeys killing a great brand.

Cyder

7,045 posts

219 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
cullenster said:
Aston had a chance to build a spectacular Lagonda back in the mid 90s. But owners Ford wouldn't let them. Shame on you Ford.

Based on that concept I'm very pleased Ford vetoed the idea. hurl

Shaw Tarse

31,543 posts

202 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
I love the idea of a luxury 4x4 SUV Aston!

BlackLabel

13,251 posts

122 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
cullenster said:
Aston had a chance to build a spectacular Lagonda back in the mid 90s. But owners Ford wouldn't let them. Shame on you Ford.

laugh

Perhaps I'm in the minority but that is anything but 'spectacular' - it looks vile!

delays

786 posts

214 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
In other words they are broke and can't afford to build it. Stupid greedy VC monkeys killing a great brand.
I see it the other way round.

If Lamborghini build their SUV - which I believe they plan to do - then Aston will remain one of the few sports car brands which make solely sports cars (and a sports saloon with the Lagonda reintroduction). Many others have prostituted their brands for volume, except Aston (which perhaps would have liked to do in the past).

So therefore it now operates in its own niche - one can only assume that the strategy is to keep volumes low and maximise profit margin on each unit.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Friday 18th July 2014
quotequote all
Cyder said:
cullenster said:
Aston had a chance to build a spectacular Lagonda back in the mid 90s. But owners Ford wouldn't let them. Shame on you Ford.

Based on that concept I'm very pleased Ford vetoed the idea. hurl
that is even more ugly than the lagonda SUV and that is saying something