Photo: Aston Martin
Aston Martin made the rounds earlier this month in Geneva with a handful of concepts, including the Vanquish. A preview for a mid-engine supercar with twin-turbo V6 propulsion, the newcomer will be available with a drop top too. As if that wasn’t enough, the Vanquish AMR Pro will cater to the needs of customers who go on track days.
“We’ll get sales from the Ferrari, McLaren, and the Lamborghini Huracan Evo,” declared Andy Palmer, the head honcho of all things Aston Martin and Lagonda. Speaking to Top Gear, the chief executive officer further confesses that “he’s planned for the Vanquish to cannibalize a few sales from the front-engined models.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Palmer isn’t referring to cannibalization. A mid-engine supercar costs more and the profit is greater therefore, helping Aston Martin get better from a financial standpoint. A twin-turbo V6 also happens to be cheaper to produce than the twin-turbo V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and there’s also the servicing costs to take into consideration.
Top Gear also claims the Vanquish will feature hybrid assistance, just like the AM-RB 003 hypercar. All told, Aston Martin plans to sell 7,000 sports cars every year in addition to 7,000 examples of the DBX and whatever Lagonda models are in the offing. In other words, Palmer wants to challenge Ferrari with no fewer than 14,000 sales per year.
The question is, why would a well-to-do gentleman buy into Aston Martin instead of Ferrari? “It will bring our proportions, beauty, and elegance to the mid-engined segment. Others are more aggressive,” said Miles Nurnberger, the British automaker’s design director.
Supercars aren’t all about the looks, though. People dropping $200,000 on such a vehicle also expect great customer care, straight-line performance, proficient handling in the twisties, practicality to some extent, and reliability too. Quite a change from supercars of the 1980s and 1990s, isn’t it?
Between the Vanquish and AM-RB 003, Palmer made it clear the twin-turbo V6 hybrid will be different in terms of output. Ferrari is also working on a twin-turbo V6 architecture, as well as a high-performance SUV called Purosangue that will challenge the DBX from Aston Martin.
Looking at the bigger picture, Palmer isn’t referring to cannibalization. A mid-engine supercar costs more and the profit is greater therefore, helping Aston Martin get better from a financial standpoint. A twin-turbo V6 also happens to be cheaper to produce than the twin-turbo V12 in the DBS Superleggera, and there’s also the servicing costs to take into consideration.
Top Gear also claims the Vanquish will feature hybrid assistance, just like the AM-RB 003 hypercar. All told, Aston Martin plans to sell 7,000 sports cars every year in addition to 7,000 examples of the DBX and whatever Lagonda models are in the offing. In other words, Palmer wants to challenge Ferrari with no fewer than 14,000 sales per year.
The question is, why would a well-to-do gentleman buy into Aston Martin instead of Ferrari? “It will bring our proportions, beauty, and elegance to the mid-engined segment. Others are more aggressive,” said Miles Nurnberger, the British automaker’s design director.
Supercars aren’t all about the looks, though. People dropping $200,000 on such a vehicle also expect great customer care, straight-line performance, proficient handling in the twisties, practicality to some extent, and reliability too. Quite a change from supercars of the 1980s and 1990s, isn’t it?
Between the Vanquish and AM-RB 003, Palmer made it clear the twin-turbo V6 hybrid will be different in terms of output. Ferrari is also working on a twin-turbo V6 architecture, as well as a high-performance SUV called Purosangue that will challenge the DBX from Aston Martin.
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