Photo: Aston Martin
It was 2016 when Aston Martin started converting St Athan into the manufacturing facility for the DBX. The ultra-luxury sports utility vehicle is an extremely important model, capable of doubling the British automaker’s yearly sales volume if production can keep up with demand.
The DBX is so important to Aston Martin that the higher-ups convinced the Prince of Wales to stop by St Athan to try out the V8-engined SUV. A picture of His Royal Highness reveals Charles affixing the winged badge to the hood of the DBX, surrounded by workers and VIPs alike.
St Athan also boasts a plaque nowadays, commemorating the royal visit and the royal seal of approval for the British automaker’s first-ever utility vehicle. It should be highlighted that the DBX in the photo gallery is a pre-production model, not intended for sale to the public. Full production is expected to start in the second quarter of 2020 for the 2021 model year.
“It is well-known that The Prince of Wales is a fan of Aston Martin, so it was a pleasure to be able to show him around the future of the brand here today,” said Marek Reichman, the company’s executive vice president and chief creative officer. Speaking of which, Charles drove himself to St Athan in his very own DB5 Volante, a car that HRH received on his 21st birthday from none other than Queen Elizabeth. Only 123 convertibles were made.
The DBX, meanwhile, will be capped at 5,000 examples per year according to chief executive officer Andy Palmer. Two of the reasons Aston Martin won’t go beyond that figure are the fear of cannibalizing production of the existing lineup or devaluing the company on the stock market.
Priced at approximately $200,000 in the United States, the 5,000-pound DBX comes exclusively with an automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive, and a twin-turbo engine from Mercedes-AMG. Codenamed M177, the eight-cylinder blunderbuss is shared with the V8 Vantage, DB11 V8, and various Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach models such as the 63 series or the GLS 600.
St Athan also boasts a plaque nowadays, commemorating the royal visit and the royal seal of approval for the British automaker’s first-ever utility vehicle. It should be highlighted that the DBX in the photo gallery is a pre-production model, not intended for sale to the public. Full production is expected to start in the second quarter of 2020 for the 2021 model year.
“It is well-known that The Prince of Wales is a fan of Aston Martin, so it was a pleasure to be able to show him around the future of the brand here today,” said Marek Reichman, the company’s executive vice president and chief creative officer. Speaking of which, Charles drove himself to St Athan in his very own DB5 Volante, a car that HRH received on his 21st birthday from none other than Queen Elizabeth. Only 123 convertibles were made.
The DBX, meanwhile, will be capped at 5,000 examples per year according to chief executive officer Andy Palmer. Two of the reasons Aston Martin won’t go beyond that figure are the fear of cannibalizing production of the existing lineup or devaluing the company on the stock market.
Priced at approximately $200,000 in the United States, the 5,000-pound DBX comes exclusively with an automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive, and a twin-turbo engine from Mercedes-AMG. Codenamed M177, the eight-cylinder blunderbuss is shared with the V8 Vantage, DB11 V8, and various Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach models such as the 63 series or the GLS 600.
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