The market for luxury SUV’s is hot, and it’s showing. Aston Martin is making a big push on their latest model: a luxury SUV (dubbed the DBX) intended to be a big-time seller for the brand. Aston Martin has begun working on its St. Athan manufacturing plant, consisting of three ‘super hangars’ that were formerly owned by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence. The SUV is geared to start production in 2019.
Construction of Phase 2 of Aston Martin’s new St Athan facility commences. Local firm TRJ awarded contract. SUV to start production in 2019
— Andy Palmer (@AndyatAston) August 3, 2017
The hangars will be converted into a production facility by local Welsh construction firm TRJ Ltd. Aston Martin announced this week that TRJ Ltd has been chosen as the selected construction partner for ‘Phase 2’ of the conversion contract at the St Athan manufacturing facility. Work is already underway at St Athan and will focus on turning the three ‘super hangars’ into an Aston Martin manufacturing facility.
Aston Martin President and CEO Andy Palmer commented: “This is yet another step on our journey in Wales, with the facility now starting to take shape. TRJ have proven themselves during ‘Phase 1’ and we look forward to working with them over the course of this next phase of the project.”
The race to build the fastest and most luxurious SUV is on for some of the biggest names in the industry. After Porsche had devised the lucrative Cayenne and subsequently the more accessible but equally prosperous Macan, the hype-train of luxury sports utility vehicles was ploughing at full speed. Lamborghini has been teasing the stunning Urus for a while now, and pre-orders have already been made public. Maserati came up with the Levante, Bentley awed us all with the pristine Bentayga, and Jaguar presented us the sleek F-Pace. Meanwhile Rolls-Royce and Ferrari will not risk missing out on this bankable segment of the market, and are expected to release their own luxury SUVs in the near future. So, sport coupe producers and high-end luxury sedan makers deciding to venture into the world of SUVs is no longer uncommon. The move from Ferrari to venture into the SUV segment is utterly bewildering. Only two years ago former Ferrari CEO Amadeo Felisa assured us that it just wasn’t going to be happen: “It’s not that we’re not planning an SUV for now — we’re not planning one at all”.
We look forward to seeing what the best in the industry can bring to the table.
