RE: First Aston Martin SUV confirmed as 'DBX'
Discussion
Sebastian Tombs said:
BlackPrince said:
fatboy b said:
An SUV with a Merc engine and absolutely zero Aston Martin pedigree. Jesus wept.
Better than Aston going the way of TVR over the last few years no? (Current TVR status notwithstanding of course - and even that may not fully be on solid ground) The idea that the only alternative to Aston making SUVs and buying engines from its competitors is to go bust is a pretty extreme straw man.
It's as bad as the counter-idea that if it's not careful Aston is going to go the way of post-war Alfa Romeo or Vauxhall and become a mass market operator of uninspiring tin.
I know this is the internet, but can we not lay off the hyperbole and agree there does actually exist a possibility that Aston probably do a McLaren and make sports and GT cars with their own engines and remain profitable. After all, their current and recent profitability is based *entirely* upon doing just that.
Love it when people moan about Aston using Merc engine. They needed to because of cost of development themselves would be non-profitable as well as other reasons.
Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
petop said:
Love it when people moan about Aston using Merc engine. They needed to because of cost of development themselves would be non-profitable as well as other reasons.
Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
If I was paying a heap of cash for an Aston or other premium brand I’d expect the bits I touch and see to be bespoke or high end sourced. That’s just how it is with me but... Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
Back then Aston had no R&D budget to develop much of anything... hence ending up under Ford ownership sharing parts with Ford, Volvo and Jag...
Most people don’t see those bits, they see an Aston Martin and think wow. Those who are more the enthusiast, knowledgeable about what was available back then if they were in the market would have been aware of the parts bin stuff. Rightly or wrongly that would’ve put some off, because of the ‘low grade’ bits.
It shows how Aston were falling behind... at least if never got as bad as the Jag X-Type.
Aston have come a long way since those dark days and that took a lot of investment. The DBX can bring in additional profits for investment.
HighwayStar said:
Seb... Bottom line... Hypothetically, Aston produce a car that steels your heart. Would them an SUV in their line up stop you buying that car?
No it wouldn't. And if the SUV is my kind of car I might even buy that.However, the chance of them producing a car that steals my heart my get smaller because of the direction they are going in. Personally I really don't like anything Marek Reichman is doing on the design side, and I definitely don't like the fact they are buying in complete engines from a rival company. It makes them so much less special.
The last one they made that gave me serious want was the DB9 (which is the car I own). The DB11 doesn't appeal because of the fussy looks and interior. The Vantage really doesn't appeal because it's seriously ugly inside and out, and because of that engine.
petop said:
Love it when people moan about Aston using Merc engine. They needed to because of cost of development themselves would be non-profitable as well as other reasons.
Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
I mentioned the McLaren engine deliberately, because I am aware of its origins. It is, despite that, very much a McLaren engine, Just as the Ford and Jaguar origins of the Aston V12 and V8 didn't stop them being Aston engines. There's a definite parallel there. Probably because they didn't get used in other cars. Or that neither of them admit that they are not in-house! (Maybe Aston should have done a deal for the McLaren engine. They don't tread on each other's toes so much, and it's much more exclusive)Someone mentioned Mclaren and "their" engine. The basis of majority of Mclaren road cars is the M838 engine which is actually Tom Walkinshaw developed engine which Mclaren took over and the work is mainly done by Ricardo, so not quite a wholly developed born and bred Mclaren engine.
My Vantage has Volvo sat nav, wing mirrors, Ford switches and stalks and Jag based engine. Its still a Aston Martin and no one turns their nose up at it because of those "low grade" bits making it up!
Nobody cares about door mirrors or tiny bits like switches (though the Ford bits have received some stick in the past, and the Volvo sat nav is universally panned). An engine though is very much the heart of the car. Rightly or wrongly it makes a big difference to the perceived value of the cars and ultimately the company.
AdamV12AMR said:
Splitter and skirts to take your lower limbs off with and a diffuser from a F1 parts bin. If the colours they decided to launch the cars with (fluro yellow and whatever the hell this is) don't speak volumes to the direction AM is now going, then I don't know what does.
Where has the AM simple, sleek, yet stunning styling gone? Would be quite a good looking car if the design of the black and yellow plastic bits below the midline were revised, as it stands it looks look someone ran over a KAHN bodykit.
Syndrome280 said:
Splitter and skirts to take your lower limbs off with and a diffuser from a F1 parts bin. If the colours they decided to launch the cars with (fluro yellow and whatever the hell this is) don't speak volumes to the direction AM is now going, then I don't know what does.
Where has the AM simple, sleek, yet stunning styling gone? Would be quite a good looking car if the design of the black and yellow plastic bits below the midline were revised, as it stands it looks look someone ran over a KAHN bodykit.
HighwayStar said:
Sebastian Tombs said:
BlackPrince said:
fatboy b said:
An SUV with a Merc engine and absolutely zero Aston Martin pedigree. Jesus wept.
Better than Aston going the way of TVR over the last few years no? (Current TVR status notwithstanding of course - and even that may not fully be on solid ground) The idea that the only alternative to Aston making SUVs and buying engines from its competitors is to go bust is a pretty extreme straw man.
It's as bad as the counter-idea that if it's not careful Aston is going to go the way of post-war Alfa Romeo or Vauxhall and become a mass market operator of uninspiring tin.
I know this is the internet, but can we not lay off the hyperbole and agree there does actually exist a possibility that Aston probably do a McLaren and make sports and GT cars with their own engines and remain profitable. After all, their current and recent profitability is based *entirely* upon doing just that.
Nerdherder said:
HighwayStar said:
Sebastian Tombs said:
BlackPrince said:
fatboy b said:
An SUV with a Merc engine and absolutely zero Aston Martin pedigree. Jesus wept.
Better than Aston going the way of TVR over the last few years no? (Current TVR status notwithstanding of course - and even that may not fully be on solid ground) The idea that the only alternative to Aston making SUVs and buying engines from its competitors is to go bust is a pretty extreme straw man.
It's as bad as the counter-idea that if it's not careful Aston is going to go the way of post-war Alfa Romeo or Vauxhall and become a mass market operator of uninspiring tin.
I know this is the internet, but can we not lay off the hyperbole and agree there does actually exist a possibility that Aston probably do a McLaren and make sports and GT cars with their own engines and remain profitable. After all, their current and recent profitability is based *entirely* upon doing just that.
I was wondering if this blew Sebastian’s skirt up, put steam in his stride...
Well Seb?
j90gta said:
Yawn!! I'm sorry but I just can't get excited about yet another stupidly expensive SUV. It would seem that Ferrari are just about the only ones that haven't been caught with one on the road/Ring or anywhere else just yet.
MX6 said:
It seems to have a Nissan Juke-esque profile/silhouette with what is now the generetic Aston face nailed on. Not really my cuppa tea but I'm sure affluent housewives will like them.
You know, you can just say nothing. Or just say SUVs don't float your boat without having to insert ignorant cliched stereotypes and/or b
hy comments.I don't find super-power hot hatches appealing, but I don't feel the need to insert a
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