Aston Martin Revives Lagonda at Geneva 2009

[Centurion]

I was expecting someone to say that, the thing is Pagani and Bugatti offers something absolutely unique and desirable, it captures our imagination. There is less limitations to how they position their product in the market where else Lagonda is in this Maybach/Mercedes+Aston sandwich. I agree the main problem with Lagonda is this hideous concept, but even if they roll out something different, I can't imagine it could be any different to what Aston already has or will offer. The Lagonda brand could have the potential to suffer the same fate as Maybach.

Very well said. Cutting corners by dressing up a GL can indeed result in a major flop. IMO the 77-One should be branded as a Lagonda to show that they are not simply whoring an old label but have a proper car to do the label justice.

 

[jack]

if this model helps keeping aston martin alive, well then i think its a good idea
personally i appreciate this concept - why ? - because it brings the SUV philosophy to another level. it doesn't pretend to climb hills or cross the goby desert any day - its on par with the PAS idea.
i think that we should stop arguing about SUVs, the SUV idea has developed in the past years into a form which is far away from the original SUV designation and finally the designs also underline this(starting with the X6).

 

[SCOTT27]

When the Mercedes-Benz/Maybach team were overlooking the Rolls-Royce 200EX we heard that Maybach are working on a Concept Car for the IAA in September .

Apparently Geneva rumours announce that the Maybach Concept Car will be a SUV based like the Lagonda on the GL-Klasse - Why? Because Maybach cutomers are demanding a SUV with the luxury and trimmings of the subsequent Maybach limousines ?

 

[Giannis]

This thought just crossed my mind: This Lagonda SUV is for those who are complaining about the AM designers who keep recycling the DB7/9 design, and not produce anything new

 

[Merc1]

This thread is going from bad to worse. A Maybach SUV at Frankfurt? Oh god I hope not. There aren't enough Maybach "customers" to demand anything.

M

 

[EnI]

Thanks God RR Phantom already offers almost SUV-like commanding (high) sitting / driving position ... Some people just like commanding position behind the wheel.

Not to mention the in-your-face truck-like appearence of the Phantom. So, absolutely no need for RR SUV at all.

I'm not kidding.

Yet BMW are seriously considering to offer AWD option on RR as well sometimes in the future - since in some markets there is a demand for such a feature. RR04 already has a chassis compatible with an AWD system. But no decision has been made yet. RR brand is very delicate ... very much about heritage & tradition. Tech like AWD, diesel engines, hybrid drive etc is kind a not in line with RR image. But ... Nor was the SAV & turbo engine with the M.




On Lagonda: the Sports Activity Sedan concept is a good idea - since this is what people desire (therefore BMW are also working on such a concept; X4). And Lagonda brand can cater to a slightly different ultra-luxury clientèle - offering ultra-luxury crossovers. BUT ... the styling of this Lagonda car is just horrible. As said: to me it's a mix of Scion & Infiniti. With some very distant AM design touch.

 

[modena_360stradale]

...

On Lagonda: the Sports Activity Sedan concept is a good idea - since this is what people desire (therefore BMW are also working on such a concept; X4). And Lagonda brand can cater to a slightly different ultra-luxury clientèle - offering ultra-luxury crossovers. BUT ... the styling of this Lagonda car is just horrible. As said: to me it's a mix of Scion & Infiniti. With some very distant AM design touch.

It is what people want, but is worth perverting a brand and its heritage to kowtow to the tastes of the public?

 

[Wolfgang]

First Aston Martin Lagonda model won’t be an SUV

First Aston Martin Lagonda model won’t be an SUV

by Kenneth Hall

Aston Martin is hard at work figuring out just what to do with its Lagonda brand revival plans. The company confirmed plans last year to revive the marque for a new range of bespoke models, the first of which is set to appear in 2012, but exactly what market segments to enter is shaping up to be a difficult question for executives.

While there are only a few years left for Aston Martin to come up with a plan for Lagonda, we've already seen the first concept, which was unveiled at last month’s Geneva Motor Show. The polarizing concept vehicle was based on a Mercedes Benz GL-Class SUV platform but according to the company’s European chief that doesn’t mean Lagonda will be an crossover brand. Speaking with Autotelegraaf, Aston Martin’s Marcel Beci explained that Lagonda will not have an SUV in its lineup, as the original Lagonda models were about easy-to-drive luxury cars.

This puts some confusion on the whole issue, as the Lagonda concept seemed to reveal that the brand would be leaning towards an SUV-type of vehicle. Mixed reactions from the public may have had something to do with a change in tack, or Beci may be simply trying to pull the wool over our eyes and keep a SUV as an ace up the company’s sleeve.

Speaking last year at the announcement of the brand’s revival, Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez said "the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sports car, and therefore offer a perfect synergy. Lagonda will use a unique design language as Aston Martin does. We will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future orientated as we are with Aston Martin. With Lagonda offering exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability and suitable for both existing and emerging markets, I believe we can be present in more than 100 countries in the world."

Beci echoed this view, claiming that in many countries it wasn't an aversion to sports cars that was holding Aston Martin back, but perhaps impracticality. He went on to explain that bad roads in developing countries is a major factor putting off many buyers from Aston Martin’s low slung sports cars – something that could be overcome by building a completely new type of vehicle under the Lagonda brand.

 

[Giannis]

GOOD NEWS FOLKS


REPORT: Aston Martin puts the Lagonda on hold

Aston Martin has grown accustomed to success. Since the DB7, its sports cars have only gotten better, while on the track the British automaker continues to rack up trophies. The Lagonda SUV concept which the company unveiled this past March in Geneva, however, was another story. The awkwardly-shaped crossover got a cold reception at its unveiling, and Aston pulled it off the show stand before the public even got there. Now reports indicate that the entire project has been put on hold.

Chief executive Ulrich Bez reportedly proclaims that the decision to axe the Lagonda venture was purely financial. And in this economic climate, that's a reasonable claim. But other sources suggest that the automotive media's reaction to the concept dictated its demise. Will Aston give it another shot? Aston Martin Lagonda chairman David Richards reportedly wants to get a new concept on the stands before the end of the year. We wouldn't be surprised if he gets his way.

Source: Autoblog


Aston Martin Lagonda SUV shelved due to weak market

It's a situation already hackneyed: a new car model has been put on ice by the cold global economic climate. Fortunately for esthetes and fans of Aston Martin, however, the latest model to face that fate is the Lagonda.

Widely lambasted for its Saab 9X Aero-meets-recreational-bus looks, the Lagonda Concept displayed at this year's Geneva Motor Show was an inauspicious rebirth of a once legendary brand. Fans were few and foes were many.

It turns out that the car's looks weren't all it had working against it. The weak economy has caused it to be shelved - or at least offered Aston Martin a convenient excuse to go back to the drawing board, reports Edmunds.

"We have several sources ready to invest upward of a quarter-billion pounds," said CEO Ulrich Bez, "but the timing right now is simply wrong. We have some work to do yet, and it takes a lot of investment."

In the firestorm that surrounded the Lagonda Concept's debut, reports of a plan to introduce a completely different model as the first Lagonda - scrapping the concept altogether - began to emerge. This latest word from Bez confirms that while Aston may have future plans for the Lagonda brand, it won't be with the polarizing concept pictured here.

Source: MotorAuthority

 

[DaSilva]

I think the car looks fantastic!
Pitty AM dosen't have balls

 

[Sayyaaf]

Yeah , now I am looking I think it is fine ..

Now while reading the article, I think now is the "right" time .. Cayenne + Boxster saved porsche .. this could save AM .. if priced right of course

 

[m-power]

Came across the Lagonda Vignale Concept from the 90's in an AM documentary I watched yestersday

Very interesting.
I would like AM to refresh this design to compete with the Bugatti Galibier.

 

[Merc1]

I agree, it is. The interior especially. The exterior needs major work though.

M

 

[Wolfgang]

Aston Martin May Build Hybrid Lagonda SUV, Electric Cygnet

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) Jan 5th 2010 at 9:02PM

[
Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

Are hybrid drivetrains befitting of a premium luxury and performance brand? Well, that depends on who you ask.

According to such diverse automakers as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and even Ferrari and Lamborghini, the answer is 'yes'. Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, though, reportedly believes otherwise. "The current hybrid technologies are not suited to the character of Aston Martin sports cars," explains Bez.

We're not so sure we agree, especially since Aston's long-planned Lagonda revival – which may or may not come wrapped in an ungainly SUV package – is rumored to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain. After all, the torque-rich nature of electric motors certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for a luxury tourer.

A few branches up on the green tree, Aston Martin's tiny Toyota iQ-based Cygnet minicar could quite possibly get a fully electric drivetrain, which would seem to make sense given that car's stated mission as an urban runabout for those times when a V12 Vanquish could be considered overkill. Beautiful, sonorous, splendid overkill...


Gallery: Lagonda Concept



http://www.luxist.com/2010/01/05/aston-martin-may-build-hybrid-lagonda-suv-electric-cygnet/

 

[Wolfgang]

an update:


Lagonda - 2014

Aston is pushing ahead with its project to relaunch Lagonda as a more luxurious, less sporting brand to complement Aston.

An SUV aimed at the emerging BRIC markets — where Aston’s low-slung sports cars struggle to cope with poor road conditions — is still the launch model.

And Mercedes is potentially still a partner for the project, donating the GL underpinnings for the Lagonda luxury utility vehicle.

However, the challenging styling of the 2009 Geneva motor show car is thankfully tipped to evolve in a more elegant direction.

Autocar

 

[Wolfgang]

another update:


Lagonda SUV:

The all-wheel-drive crossover from the 2009 Geneva auto show has been killed. It's not for lack of money. The concept car's design was hammered by critics.

Lagonda sedan:

Complaints that the Rapide's back seat is not fit for man or beast has Aston scrambling to stretch the wheelbase and create an actual sedan that will carry the Lagonda name. But that's at least four years away.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100901/COPY/309019990/1216#ixzz0yIt8xT4i

 

[Wolfgang]

from a journalists briefing at the Paris auto show.

Automotive News asked:

There are rumors that you are also talking with Aston Martin about supplying components such as engines and transmissions?

Dieter Zetsche replied: We all know each other. I have known [Aston CEO] Ulie Bez since kindergarten. Of course, you meet at auto shows and see if you could do something together. It is a possibility that all these smaller brands need some foundation for new technologies. An electric architecture is not sustainable on a 4,000- to 5,000-vehicle base. It is possible we will do something in the future. We will see.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101011/OEM02/310119992#ixzz12ANgQRkz

 

[Merc1]

Man I hope they can work something out. AMG's 6.2L V8 would be perfect for the Vantage and a new V12 can be shared and costs spread out among Aston/Lagonda/AMG/Mercedes.... a beautiful thing.

They need to make this happen.

Let Aston have a hand in the new Maybachs inside and out.

M

 

[Wolfgang]

the latest Lagonda rumors.


Lagonda Confirmed as an SUV, ‘Almost Complete’ Says Aston CEO

By Colum Wood | Autoguide

Despite rumors indicating that Aston Martin had axed plans to build its Lagonda SUV concept and instead go with a Rapide-based sedan, the British automaker appears ready to move ahead with its original product rollout.

At a lecture yesterday in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Aston CEO Ulrich Bez confirmed that the Lagonda will be a four-wheel drive SUV. Bez even went so far as to say that the production model is “almost complete” and that the company should have more official info to offer by the end of the year.

While the decision to move ahead in the SUV segment seems foolish, it meshes well with Aston’s plan to push ahead of emerging markets like China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, where a 4WD truck makes more sense. The decision may actually prove fortuitous as SUV sales are once again on the rise in North America.

Lagonda Confirmed as an SUV, ‘Almost Complete’ Says Aston CEO | AutoGuide.com News

 

[Merc1]

OMG....it had better not look like the concept.


M