Aston Martin surprised us this year when it pulled the veil from the outlandish DBX electric crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The concept was intended to give us an idea of what a future crossover from Aston Martin might look like, and according to company CEO Andy Palmer, their vision for the model hasn’t changed.
Rather than building a traditional SUV or crossover more akin to a Range Rover, Palmer told The Drive in a recent interview that Aston Martin would rather create something similar to the DBX. The model would trade a bit of functionality for a more emotive exterior, thereby adhering to Aston Martin’s brand pillars of power, beauty and soul.
“Practically speaking, every one of our customers has a Range Rover sitting in their garage,” Palmer said. “So the sensible decision would be to make a Range Rover. But our DNA doesn’t allow us to go there. There is no beauty in there. You cannot make a beautiful SUV, it’s impossible. Because the raison d’être of an SUV is basically maximizing versatility, maximizing space, which means you make a box. And boxes aren’t beautiful.”
The DBX is a high-riding electric coupe with all-wheel drive and plenty of space for luggage. Aston’s future crossover would be much the same, offering more versatility than the company’s sportscars like the Vanquish or Vantage, but not entirely crossing the line into SUV territory.
“It has to have reasonable versatility, and it has to have reasonable luggage space,” Palmer said. “But do you really need to be able to climb the side of the Matterhorn? No. Do you really need to be able to load the dogs and three weeks of luggage? No.”
So don’t think Aston Martin’s going to turn around and debut a boxy SUV with the grille off a Vanquish tacked on the front. If a more capable Aston does come along, expect it to be sleek and sensuously styled – just as the DBX suggested it would be.
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