Sounds like the rumor from earlier this year is turning into a reality. Speaking to Car and Driver, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer has confirmed two Lagonda-branded models by 2023, aimed squarely at the leather-bound pocketbooks of Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
As for what the two Lagondas will look like, prepare for something completely different. “The truth is, I don’t want either of them to be what you’d call a traditional sedan,” said Palmer. “If we just do another three-box sedan, it’s going to be hard to break into that market. So what I’m challenging the design guys to do is to look for something that breaks that duopoly [between Rolls-Royce and Bentley], but which still has appeal to what is a relatively conservative market and still very much a chauffeur-driven market.”
Don’t think that that’s a roundabout way of saying they’ll be SUVs either because according to the C/D report, they won’t be (thankfully). In any case, Aston already has that base covered with the upcoming DBX. In fact, both Lagonda offerings will apparently use the DBX’s platform and are expected to share engines with the crossover AM as well. “We’re looking for something that breaks the status quo,” Palmer added.
Based on the Rapide, Aston built the Lagonda Taraf a couple of years ago as a $1 million, ultra-luxe, V12, super sedan revival of their revered Lagonda nameplate. We’re predicting the new Lagondas to feature many of the design elements (and hopefully, the baller-ific aura) seen in the Taraf albeit with, as Palmer puts it, less of a “traditional sedan” shape. Audi A7-style four-door, fastback “coupes” are all the rage these days, I hear. Make an “entry level” model and a big-daddy Lagonda similar to Rolls’ Phantom-Ghost setup and we have an ultra-luxury subbrand on our hands.