While the DB11 is set to go on sale later this year as the replacement for the 13-year-old DB9, Aston is already planning additional models, according to Automotive News. Replacements for the current Vanquish and Vantage will arrive before 2018, it reports.
Aside from their use of the new platform, Aston isn’t offering many clues as what the new models will be like. While they’ll probably use a lot of the same components as the DB11, Aston may try harder to differentiate the Vanquish and Vantage from their progenitor. CEO Andy Palmer recently told journalists that the carmaker hopes to address criticism that its current models are too similar. Automotive News notes.
Currently, the DB9, Vanquish, and Vantage all use the same VH architecture, and are all offered with different versions of Aston’s 6.0-liter V12. The smaller Vantage serves as an “entry-level” model, while the Vanquish is arguably the flagship. It replaced the DBS, which was essentially a tuned version of the DB9.
The DB11 will probably provide a good indicator of how these other models will develop. It will use a new 5.2-liter twin-turbocharged V12, developed with help from Aston benefactor Daimler-Benz. The DB11 (and probably other models too) will also borrow electrical components from Mercedes-Benz. A turbocharged Mercedes-AMg V8 could also find its way into future Aston models.
Aston is also expected to diversify beyond sports cars in an attempt to build profits. While the long-term fate of the Rapide sedan is unclear, Aston is working on an electric version, tentatively called RapidE. It’s also reportedly moving ahead with plans for a crossover based on the DBX concept from last year’s Geneva show.
