Discussion
With Lamborghini, Maserati and Bentley recently releasing 4x4 concepts, do you think AM will actually release the Lagonda concept? Or are the chances are they would wait until another company did it, see if was a hit or not, then release it? Or have they cheapened the brand enough with the Cygnet?
The main, and deal-breaking, difference, is that all those brands that you mention actually share the same platform, and therefore cut costs by 4 compared to what AM would have to fork out!
And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
Edit: wrote too quickly - obviously the Kubang doesn't share the VAG platform, I was thinking of the Cayenne (so that's Touareg, Cayenne, Urus and EXP9F all using the same platform). The Kubang still shares its platform with the Jeep Cherokee though...
And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
Edit: wrote too quickly - obviously the Kubang doesn't share the VAG platform, I was thinking of the Cayenne (so that's Touareg, Cayenne, Urus and EXP9F all using the same platform). The Kubang still shares its platform with the Jeep Cherokee though...
Edited by matrignano on Wednesday 25th April 16:10
matrignano said:
The main, and deal-breaking, difference, is that all those brands that you mention actually share the same platform, and therefore cut costs by 4 compares to what AM would have to fork out!
And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
Finally! A positive thing through not being associated with a larger R&D conglomerate. And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
peterr96 said:
matrignano said:
The main, and deal-breaking, difference, is that all those brands that you mention actually share the same platform, and therefore cut costs by 4 compares to what AM would have to fork out!
And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
Finally! A positive thing through not being associated with a larger R&D conglomerate. And AM has no 4WD technology, so they'd have to buy it from elsewhere and would likely not benefit from great prices due to the smaller volumes.
Agreed Peter, hopefully this means they won't make it!
Well I'll go against the crowd and hope Aston make a 4x4. But call it Lagonda. Its where the money is in cars at the moment, the Far East and especially China. The Lagonda concept pictured was built on a Merc platform IIRC. Now Aston are opening up in dealerships they need to maximise the brand association - bukld and sell a car (4x4) that will sell in their thousands. Leaves lots of profit to invest in R+D in Astons, engines etc.
As has been said the Rapide is too small for the chinese market, Dr Bez has admitted it and stated they are working on re-pacakaging it
As has been said the Rapide is too small for the chinese market, Dr Bez has admitted it and stated they are working on re-pacakaging it
I really hope they do make it. I also hope they capture the Aston magic, if they do then I'm well up for buying one. I have a wife and daughter and want us all to be able to do nice days out in a fabulous car together occasionally. Yes, we have a regular 4x4 for the family, but I hate having to leave the v8v at home and there's something about rocking up to your favourite rural restaurant in a beautiful motor. I'm seriously considering a Rapide for that purpose but would just as easily consider a 4x4 if they offered one.
The Bentley and Lagonda concepts however are hideous.
The Bentley and Lagonda concepts however are hideous.
yeti said:
... What pray tell, our foul-mouthed chum, is the reason for the Cygnet? I REALLY hope you say to reduce emissions across the range. I really do 
Noooooooooooo !! Lest Neil has a meltdown and starts walking around with his underpants on his head and a pencil up each nostril
Back on topic - the Lagonda actually looks fine in amongst that company, there all ugly but they are all necessary in the strange works we live in. The Cayenne saved Porsche, maybe the Aston 4x4 can save them. But yes, who do they share the platform with? In a dream scenario, Range Rover would be great
Jockman said:
yeti said:
... What pray tell, our foul-mouthed chum, is the reason for the Cygnet? I REALLY hope you say to reduce emissions across the range. I really do
Noooooooooooo !! Lest Neil has a meltdown and starts walking around with his underpants on his head and a pencil up each nostril
WIBBLE!
yeti said:
Back on topic - the Lagonda actually looks fine in amongst that company, there all ugly but they are all necessary in the strange works we live in. The Cayenne saved Porsche, maybe the Aston 4x4 can save them. But yes, who do they share the platform with? In a dream scenario, Range Rover would be great
The Lagonda only looks ok in that picture because you can't see the back of it. They're all awful, IMO.I don't buy that the Cayenne saved Porsche. Sure, they say they needed it, but no one has ever shown that they'd have gone under without it. The 993 was profitable, and the 986/987 and 996/997 have been very profitable. Of course, the Cayenne made lots of money, but the whole bigger-and-more strategy ultimately led to their being taken over by VW (it was a financial strategy screw-up, yes, but it was part of the overall strategy and "vision").
Here's an earlier post of mine that is mostly on point (it's too late to write a proper reply, I must go to
)I agree that all the pending regulations and restrictions will cost big money, and that Aston may have real difficulty facing that, but I’m not convinced it can’t be done. Very risky, certainly. But I do not believe that a 4X4 is the clear solution. Big, pricey 4X4s are a risky market proposition also – expensive to develop (unless they just stick it on someone else’s chassis, and my view on that has already been stated…), no help to the marque from an environmental/emissions perspective, etc. But please, if they do go down the 4X4 path, do not badge it an Aston Martin. It’s more tolerable as a Lagonda. If they do it, and they do it very well, as a Lagonda it might not be too offensive.
I know Porsche still builds sports cars, but now they build sports cars also. They mostly build SUVs and sedans. Ruins it for me. And again, they can say it all they want, but there is NO reason to believe that they had to start building trucks in order to continue to build sports cars. None. That was an excuse to chase a potentially lucrative market and make the idea of the Cayenne palatable. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have done just fine focusing on what made them great in the first place? Instead, they got hugely distracted from what they did best, diverting both money and engineering hours away from sports cars, and even got into a massive failure of “financial engineering.” The result of this strategy to “save” the company? As we all know, they’re being taken over by VW – precisely what they ostensibly sold their soul to avoid in the first place. There is no question that they lost their focus – and lost their independent company.
In any event, this is why I’d like to see Aston owned by a big company, but only if that owner is benevolent in the way Ford was. Here’s hoping.
yeti said:
Back on topic - the Lagonda actually looks fine in amongst that company, there all ugly but they are all necessary in the strange works we live in. The Cayenne saved Porsche, maybe the Aston 4x4 can save them. But yes, who do they share the platform with? In a dream scenario, Range Rover would be great
The Cayenne is basically a VW Toureg....the diesel version even uses the VW TDI engine.....agree that the Range Rover platform would be greatAs for the foul mouthed AM NpR ......go and troll somewhere else
yeti said:
Back on topic - the Lagonda actually looks fine in amongst that company, there all ugly but they are all necessary in the strange works we live in. The Cayenne saved Porsche, maybe the Aston 4x4 can save them. But yes, who do they share the platform with? In a dream scenario, Range Rover would be great
But why on earth would you buy it over a Range Rover??? Vantagefan said:
Wasn't this where the potential Merc tie-in was heading? GL or ML platforms and engines?
Maybe the GLK, that's an awesome car but sadly we don't get it in the UK. Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff