SUVs are all the rage right now, even among the ultra-luxury crowd where they account for close to 50 percent of sales at brands like Bentley and Lamborghini.
Aston Martin is just about to enter the fray with its 2021 DBX which starts deliveries this summer. Just one version of the mid-size SUV has been announced but strong initial demand has prompted Aston Martin to prepare for the introduction of additional derivatives starting from 2021, according to new chairman Lawrence Stroll.
“I am extremely pleased that DBX remains on track for deliveries in the summer and has a strong order book behind it extending into 2021,” he said during Aston Martin's first quarter financial results presentation last month. “Based on these successful initial orders for DBX, we plan to unveil future derivatives starting from 2021.”
Aston Martin has already racked up over 2,000 orders for the DBX, which is enough to keep the SUV's new plant in St Athan, Wales, busy through the next 12 months. And the best part is that half of the orders are coming from customers new to the brand.
2021 Aston Martin DBX
It isn't clear whether Stroll means additional powertrain derivatives like a planned hybrid option or new concepts like a 7-seat DBX or even a coupe-like version—something Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Aston Martin, hinted to GoAuto in a March interview when asked about whether a second SUV was possible.
“We’ll never go down (in size),” he said. “Not necessarily up, but maybe it’s less capacity. So the wheelbase may remain the same but maybe the box shrinks a little bit.”
Launching additional body styles for the DBX will enable Aston Martin to grab a bigger slice of the SUV pie with a much smaller investment than if it launched a second SUV line—a key issue for Aston Martin which at the moment is struggling to stay solvent. The automaker has run huge losses the past two quarters and last week announced it would cut up to 500 jobs.
The DBX reaches dealers in the United States in the second half of 2020. It launches with a 542-horsepower 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 and a $189,900 starting price.
