Aston Martin revives Lagonda luxury with an electric sedan
A track-only Valkyrie, a Vantage, and some DB11s also made appearances in Geneva
Aston Martin unveiled the new Lagonda Vision Concept at the Geneva Auto Show, an all-electric sedan that heralds the revival of the special high-end Lagonda line that has been all but extinct for more than two decades.
“The Lagonda Vision Concept is our plan for the rebirth of a great brand,” Aston Martin president and CEO Andy Palmer said. “It’s a new kind of luxury car from the first 100-per cent battery electric luxury car brand.”
Palmer didn’t give many details about the new car, which after all is only a conceptual exercise, but he did say the Vision Concept will get 400 miles (644km) on one charge – enough to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in one sitting. It will have self-driving capability and zero emissions.
Inside, it has seating for four on chairs that swivel forward and back, plus a steering wheel that moves side to side, or disappears altogether. The cabin is outfitted in British wool, silk and cashmere.
“It’s meant to feel like moving up to the Concorde from First Class,” Palmer said. Production at the 114-year-old Lagonda brand will begin by 2021 at the company’s factory in Wales, and a second model may arrive by 2023. Lagonda did make a brief appearance with a limited-run US$1 million model in 2015, but the marque has otherwise been dormant.
The debut follows Aston Martin’s recent news of surging demand, with sales gaining 58 per cent in 2017 to 5,117 units, the highest in nine years. Revenue jumped 48 per cent to a record £876 million (HK$9.5 billion). All of this came largely from rising demand in North America, Britain and China, especially for the DB11 and “special models”, Palmer said.
