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Aston Martin will soon be relaunching the Lagonda brand as a competitor to the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Speaking with Motoring, Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer said Lagonda would standard apart from its parent company. “Historically, Lagonda competed with the likes of Rolls and Bentley. [but] it has been largely dormant or has often been used as a sub brand… or a pet name of Aston, so lots of confusion. We’re going to get rid of the confusion… The direction I gave to Marek [Reichman, Aston Design boss] was look, Rolls Royce, is the epitome of luxury. It’s first class in a [Boeing] 777 – big, comfortable, we can’t compete with them. [So instead] Give me Concorde – the best of speed; the finest of fastest cars," said Palmer. The Lagonda lineup will comprise of two models, although what they will be is unknown at this time. Palmer says he hasn't signed off on plans for either model. He does admit it will likely be a sedan and SUV. Both models will use Aston's bonded aluminium platform and not one from their partner, Mercedes-Benz. Both models are expected to debut sometime in the next decade. Source: Motoring View full article

Aston Martin has an interesting plan when it comes time to replace the somewhat old Rapide. Car and Driver spoke with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer who said they have two new models that will take the place of the Rapide; a new crossover and a sport sedan wearing the Lagonda nameplate. “However, we have a [further] business plan, and within that there’s three legs to the strategy. First is replacing the entire sports-car range; second is the DBX, and that appeals to a different set of audiences; and the third is the sports sedan, which will carry that beautiful badge,” (Lagonda label pin on his coat) said Palmer. First off is a production version of the DBX concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show. Whereas the concept looked like a V8/V12 Vantage with an increase in ride height and electric powertrain, the production model will go with a five-door style and come powered with either a gas and plug-in hybrid powertrain. As for the new sport sedan wearing the Lagonda name, this isn't the current sedan known as the Lagonda Taraf that will be sold in Middle East and a few other markets. Instead it will be an all new model. Source: Car and Driver View full article

Every luxury automaker it seems has gone mad for SUVs. Companies like Lamborghini, Bentley, and even Rolls-Royce are hard at work on a SUV. But it seems that one has possibly gone back on their plans. Back in 2009, Aston Martin showed off the Lagonda SUV concept. Reactions to the concept were mixed to say in the least. But former CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez said the company was considering go ahead with the project. Now Aston Martin's Director of Design, Marek Reichman hints that SUV may have been axed. “We first showed the Lagonda SUV concept back in 2009. We still have plans for the brand. There might be some surprises in the marque’s re-establishment into the market place, but as a very unique coachbuilt experience. And that’s probably what’s most befitting of the brand,” said Reichman to Piston Heads. “It’s more. It’s the reinvention of the marque, the brand, but done in a very, very limited way. It’s not something we believe that is a mass product.” What are these plans? A possible one is an exclusive four-door sedan. Earlier this year, spy shots captured a distinctive four-door sedan undergoing testing by Aston Martin. The speculation is that sedan will be a Lagonda. Source: Piston Heads, Autoblog William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached atwilliam.maley@cheersandgears.com or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com October 16, 2013 Back at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, Aston Martin rolled out a very polarizing crossover concept with a name that hadn't been since the late eighties; Lagonda. Quick history lesson: Lagonda was brand that got its start back in 1906 building luxury vehicles. In 1947, Lagonda was paired up with Aston Martin and would continue building vehicles till the late fifties. Since that time, Aston Martin has used Lagonda as a model name for a certain number of vehicles, most notably the Aston Martin Lagonda sedan from the eighties. Now the Lagonda concept shown at Geneva wasn't well received for its awkward styling, but Aston Martin sent it back to the drawing board and that was the last we heard about it and Lagonda. That is until this week when Aston Martin's chief executive Dr. Ulrich Bez told Australian Motoring site Drive.com.au that Lagonda is still being worked on. “I am confident in the future we will see a Lagonda on the road. I cannot say [it will be] in three weeks or three years, but I am confident it will be there,” said Bez. When asked about the crossover, Bez said this; “With the Lagonda name we have the chance to use it for everything that goes beyond what is our base car line and preferably it will be something like an SUV. But it could be - if I look at the next five or 10 year period - then I could see a variety of possibilities. Everything is possible, but I cannot say it might be this or that… but everything beyond [our current range of] V8 Vantage, Rapide, Vanquish could be branded as Lagonda.” Source: Drive.com.au William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at william.maley@cheersandgears.com or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article