Aston Martin’s Lagonda All-Terrain Is The Future of Luxury SUVs

This futuristic all-terrain vehicle debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, alongside the manufacturer’s other technologically advanced AM-RB 003 and Vanquish Vision concepts. What was once sci-fi is now slowly becoming a reality in the automotive industry, and this lineup is the perfect example.

“It really shows you the future design language of Lagondas” says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer. With no internal combustion engine, fuel tank, driveline or exhaust system, the fully electric SUV takes all the space normally dedicated to such components and offers it to the vehicle’s driver and passengers. As a result, the interior is not just luxurious and packed with high-tech equipment, but also insanely comfortable.

The two electric motors powering Aston Martin’s groundbreaking concept produce no emissions and are mounted close to ground level, one on each axle, further contributing to its astoundingly roomy interior. In fact, it’s more spacious than Rolls-Royce’s Cullinan, and that’s pretty impressive, given the fact that the latter is around 3ft longer. Reichman stated that “no one has taken advantage of the fact that there is no internal combustion engine”, until now.

For the British firm, all this available space provided the opportunity to equip the all-terrain Lagonda with rotating front seats, enveloped in delicate cashmere. So, if you’re on a particularly boring stretch of the freeway, just turn your seat around, relax and have a good old chat with the other occupants; the car’s autonomous driving system will take care of the rest!

You’re probably thinking ‘okay, that’s cool and all. But what the hell is that UFO-looking thing, levitating where you’d normally find the gearbox?’

It turns out it’s not just the most incredible car key I have ever seen, but also your personal assistant, storing information on your daily schedule and transmitting it to the vehicle’s artificial intelligence, so it knows when and where it needs to take you throughout the day. We would imagine it will be operated through the multiple gesture and voice control systems seen throughout the vehicle, as well as the infotainment system located within comfortable reach of the driver.

The Lagonda SUV’s interior will not feature traditional materials found in today’s cars, such as leather. Aston Martin will take a radically different approach to the interior design by using cashmere, silks, ceramics and even Swarovski crystals. Now, that’s what I call ‘innovative’.

To help conserve battery life and extend its range, the all-terrain concept is considerably more lightweight and aerodynamic than any other SUV we see on the road today. Reichman himself points out that “weight and not being aerodynamically efficient are the destroyers of battery life”, and we couldn’t agree more.

As such, Aston Martin’s Langonda SUV is structured more like a sports car rather than a traditional vehicle of this type. It sits closer to the ground, has a low hood and allows a constant airflow through its frontal area to cool the batteries.

“Electrification gives you more freedom as a designer to create something truly unique” concludes Marek Reichman. Revealing no further details, he left many questions unanswered, but we can be assured that more details on what they call “the future of luxury SUVs” will be on their way soon.