Aston attack
Aston attack
Aston attack
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John Mellor's<br />
GoAutonews<br />
<strong>Aston</strong> SUV snub<br />
Rapide sedan should<br />
satisfy would-be <strong>Aston</strong><br />
SUV owners: Bez<br />
By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS<br />
ASTON MARTIN’S upcoming Rapide fourdoor<br />
sedan will be positioned as an alternative<br />
to the burgeoning luxury SUV segment.<br />
This puts paid to speculation of a Porsche<br />
Cayenne-style SUV – at least in the foreseeable<br />
future – from <strong>Aston</strong> Martin.<br />
Due to be unveiled in 2009, the Rapide will<br />
feature the same four-door silhouette as that<br />
of the concept car of the same name which<br />
featured at the Detroit motor show last year.<br />
Importantly, it also has a large lift-back<br />
rear door, essentially making it the British<br />
luxury marque’s fi rst “production” model with<br />
this feature. Previous <strong>Aston</strong> Martin shooting<br />
brake vehicles, such as the 1960s DB6 and<br />
1980s/1990s Virage editions, have been<br />
extremely limited-production vehicles.<br />
According to <strong>Aston</strong> Martin CEO Ulrich Bez,<br />
the Rapide was inspired by previous shooting<br />
brake concepts.<br />
“I wanted to make it much more stylish in<br />
shape,” he told GoAuto. “We could easily make<br />
(the Rapide) into shooting brake by extending<br />
the roof into a square back, but why should<br />
we do this, when the Rapide will be able to do<br />
much the same thing.<br />
“People do not load cars up to the ceiling<br />
– usually they only load up to the window line.<br />
The Rapide will be able to do this.”<br />
The comments end speculation that <strong>Aston</strong><br />
Martin is preparing to enter the luxury SUV<br />
segment.<br />
“It is all about the <strong>Aston</strong> Martin philosophy,”<br />
Dr Bez insisted.<br />
Based on the VH Vertical/Horizontal<br />
architecture that underpins the DB9 and<br />
Vantage range, the Rapide’s rivals include<br />
Porsche’s still-secret Panamera four-door<br />
sedan scheduled for release by 2009, as well<br />
as the Maserati Quattroporte, Audi S8 and<br />
Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG.<br />
It is likely that the Rapide will feature a<br />
variation of the Vanquish S’s 6.0-litre V12,<br />
along with a six-speed gearbox.<br />
In late 2005, Dr Bez told GoAuto that<br />
A PRIL 4, 2007 Page 3<br />
resurrecting the Lagonda name for such a car<br />
was also out of the question.<br />
“It is literally unknown to the public,” he<br />
said at the time, adding that only a handful<br />
of <strong>Aston</strong> Martin afi cionados have a positive<br />
recollection of the name.<br />
He pointed to the billion-plus dollars<br />
DaimlerChrysler has had to spend on the<br />
similarly obscure Maybach moniker.<br />
“We do not have that kind of money,” he<br />
said, adding that his main priority was for<br />
<strong>Aston</strong> Martin to be profi table.<br />
The Rapide name dates back to the late 1930s<br />
and the elegant Lagonda Rapid convertible,<br />
and appeared again when <strong>Aston</strong> released a<br />
Humber Super Snipe-style sedan built on the<br />
contemporary DB4 platform.<br />
New Vantage point – page 10<br />
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www.mellor.net<br />
Rapide concept<br />
EDITOR: Terry Martin MANAGING EDITOR: Marton Pettendy JOURNALISTS: Byron Mathioudakis, James Stanford, Tim Britten, David Hassall PRODUCTION: Chris Harris
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