Despite little news on the Lagonda front as of late, Aston Martin is reportedly continuing to prepare for the launch of its new sub-brand.

With an all-new DBS currently in the works as well, the Lagonda SUV could debut as early as the Paris Motor Show this Fall with Aston boss Ulrich Bez recently commenting that we’ll see a refreshed version of the much-maligned concept, “in the coming year.” In fact, Bez was reported to have said the car was “almost complete” six months ago.

While initially proposed as a brand that will focus purely on SUVs, rumors have also surfaced that a large sedan could also be built as a rival to the Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Initially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2009, the Mercedes GL-based Lagonda concept was not well received by the media and so the exclusive British automaker took a second look at the styling. Media commentary can, however, be misleading as we saw with the recent Bentley SUV concept, which offended journalists, but which stuck a cord with potential customers.

While sales of cars like the DBS continue to lag behind pre-recession levels, a high-dollar SUV like the proposed Lagonda is seen by many automakers as just the ticket to help improve sales – particularly in emerging markets like China, Russia and India where poor road infrastructure significantly limits the practicality of a low-slung sports car.

With Bentley recently showing its SUV concept and Lamborghini revealing the Urus SUV, the Lagonda can only be a question of when, not if.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Lagonda

[Source: AutoCar]

Aston Martin is preparing to launch ‘two or three’ new- generation Lagonda models, CEO Ulrich Bez confirmed. The new Lagondas will include a sporty crossover, an Audi Allroad-type crossover and a high-end luxury sedan resembling the boxy 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda.

The Lagonda crossover will have two different designs derived from the new Mercedes M-class out later in 2011. The concept was designed by AML design pencil-in chief Marek Reichman. One crossover will be sporty with 21 inch rims coupled with a low-riding chassis.

The other will be an Audi Allroad-type vehicle targeted at Range Rover customers. Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez explained ‘Lagonda cannot survive as a one-model brand’. ’That´s why we are looking at two, maybe three different offerings. The most logical follow-up to the crossover is a high-end, high-visibility luxury saloon not unlike the angular Lagonda designed by William Towns…”

The luxury sedan referred to as Project Swan will combine traditional luxury with advanced packaging and a sophisticated drivetrain.

[Source: Car]

Rumors of a partnership between Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz surfaced quite some time ago, but according to a new report a deal between has been stuck between the two luxury marques – one that will benefit plans both firms have for their boutique luxury brands.

The terms of the tie-up will see Aston Martin get the GL platform from Mercedes on which to build its Lagonda SUV, which should be priced in the range of $250,000. Aston will also get access to new Mercedes engine technology, with the new twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8 a likely candidate for the Lagonda.

In return, Aston will develop the next-generation Maybach models, based off the upcoming Mercedes S-Class chassis. Mercedes is betting on a recovered economy and demand in China to help keep the Maybach brand economically viable. But that’s not all.

For its efforts Aston Martin will also be rewarded with access to the S-Class chassis to build a Rolls-Royce rivaling Lagonda sedan that would cost as much as $350,000. The British sports car maker may even use the chassis of the SLS to replace its current VH architecture, which is used for every model in Aston’s lineup.

The first fruits of this joint-venture will be on display at this Fall’s Frankfurt Auto Show, with Maybach set to show-off its new Aston Martin-built luxury saloon.

[Source: Car & Driver]

The negative reaction to Aston Martin‘s Lagonda concept car at the Geneva Auto Show two years ago might have seemed like the end of a plan to revive the marque, but the British luxury automaker is ready to prove doubters wrong, with CEO Ulrich Bez now confirming the new sub-brand has been given the green light.

Perhaps more importantly, Aston Martin has a larger plan, with Bez telling AutoCar that more products for Lagonda are in the pipe. Don’t look for Lagonda sports cars, however, but more SUVs, with the brand squarely focused on AWD models designed for Russia, China and other emerging markets.

Priced between £100-300k ($160,000 to $480,000) the brand will launch a new ultra-luxury SUV segment well beyond current high-end SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne.

Thankfully it appears as though the first Lagonda model will differ significantly from the concept car. Described by Aston design boss Marek Reichman as “a reaction car,” he points out that while reaction to the vehicle was negative, reaction to the brand proved otherwise. “People didn’t say Lagonda shouldn’t exist, they just said that a Lagonda shouldn’t look like that. Our research shows that 60 per cent of people thought Lagonda was a viable brand.”

GALLERY: Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

[Source: AutoCar]

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.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

[Source: Autoblog.nl]

After Aston Martin‘s botched attempt at resurrecting the Langonda brand with its Crossover concept at last year’s Geneva Auto Show, the British automaker will now head in a new direction, basing an upcoming model on the current Rapide platform.

By all accounts the Rapide has been been well-received, although a repeated complaint is the lack of space in the rear seats of the 4-door. (Why build a 4-door if the rear isn’t even functional).

According to Automotive News, the new plan for Lagonda is to develop a version of the Rapide with added second-row space. Its not clear if this will be a clever way of repackaging the interior or if Aston Martin will stretch the Rapide’s platform. What it will do is help Aston Martin expand its product offering while cutting costs through economies of scale.

Either way, don’t expect the Rapide-based Lagonda for at least four years.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Rapide

GALLERY: Lagonda Crossover Concept

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog]

With the release of a new selection of photos of its much-maligned Lagonda Concept, Aston Martin seems to be re-testing the waters to see if there is interest in a luxury SUV, marketed under the slightly more affordable Lagonda brand. The vehicle was first shown at the Geneva Auto Show last March and was not well received.

With the recession now on its way out and a new era of lavish spending around the corner (Aston hopes), it has decided to revisit the concept once again to see if moods have changed. No doubt, some will now be more favorable and we can certainly see there being some demand for the Mercedes GL-based SUV. But will such limited demand be enough?

According to a report on egmCarTech, Aston’s design team has been tasked with creating another concept to debut at an upcoming auto show. Perhaps this time we’ll get some sort of 5 Series GT sportback concept aimed at an expanding market segment, rather than an SUV in a segment that continues to shrink.

Aston Martin has said it intends to bring a production Lagonda model to market by 2012.

GALLERY: Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

[Source: eGMCarTech]

Today Aston Martin revived the Lagonda brand by unveiling a Lagonda concept car at the Geneva Auto Show. The only thing is, it’s more of a crossover.

Actually, it’s more of a truck. You see, crossovers are generally SUVs built on car platforms; the Lagonda Concept is based on the Mercedes-Benz GL truck platform.

“An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car,” says Dr Ulrich Bez, “but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets. Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package.”

“An Aston Martin demands to be driven. A Lagonda demands a destination.”

The vehicle also represents Aston Martin’s desire to expand and grow… in a big way. The Lagonda Concept is more than just a design study that is soon to be relegated to an automotive museum. Aston Martin has bold ambitions for the brand.

Currently Aston Martin vehicles are sold in just 32 countries worldwide. The Lagonda, said Dr. Bez, will be sold in 100 countries. That being said, production numbers are sure to far exceed anything Aston Martin currently produces.

The crossover design makes the Lagonda Concept able to be marketed around the world because it is more useable and unlike an Aston, doesn’t have any ground clearance issues. It also features four-wheel drive and seats four inside.

Once Lagondas go into production, the vehicles will be sold in the usual territories, as well as Russia, the Middle East, South America, India and China.

“The Lagonda is the luxury car of the future,” said Dr. Bez, “a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials.”

Aston is also going to use the Lagonda brand to explore alternative energy sources. There is no word on what can be found under the hood of the concept vehicle but future Lagondas could be powered by anything from a low emission diesel, a flexfuel engine or even a hybrid powerplant.

GALLERY: Lagonda Concept Car

More on the Lagonda Concept after the jump:

Lagonda: Revival of a Luxury Brand

Aston Martin is proud to announce the return of Lagonda, one of the oldest and most iconic names in luxury car manufacturing.

The revival of Lagonda fulfils a long-term vision and will bring performance luxury into new markets and territories around the world for Aston Martin Lagonda. Ultimately, Lagonda will be a strong presence in 100 global territories, vastly increasing the global brand reach of the company and extending to new customers.

Reflecting its remarkable history, the brand will return to Russia, enter emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, India and China, as well as responding to demand from the dynamic, innovation-focused consumers of Europe, North America and the Far East.

“The Lagonda is the luxury car of the future,” says Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, “a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials.”

Lagonda is committed to innovative new propulsion technologies, new materials and elegant forms, creating a functional luxury for the near future. Critically, the brand will allow the exploration of alternative powertrain solutions including flexfuel, low emission diesel and hybrid systems. Lagonda will epitomise the intersection of craft, design and technology with Aston Martin’s established high performance expertise.

The intention is for Lagonda to enter the market place with a unique performance avant-garde luxury product, a vehicle that combines exceptional ability with unsurpassed elegance, inside and out. The LAGONDA CONCEPT is a powerful four-wheel drive, four-seater car that will satisfy the most discerning and demanding owner.

“An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car,” says Dr Ulrich Bez, “but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets. Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package.

“An Aston Martin demands to be driven. A Lagonda demands a destination.”

-

Lagonda: Revival of a Luxury Brand

Rationale

Aston Martin is proud to announce the return of Lagonda, one of the most iconic names in luxury car manufacturing. The intention is for Lagonda to enter the market place with a unique performance luxury product, a vehicle that combines exceptional ability with unsurpassed elegance, inside and out.

Lagonda’s return signals a major expansion of Aston Martin’s product line, taking the company into new and emerging markets around the world. To demonstrate the Lagonda vision, the LAGONDA CONCEPT has been created, a car that epitomises the intersection of craft, design and technology with Aston Martin’s established high performance expertise.

The LAGONDA CONCEPT is an avant-garde luxury vehicle; with powerful four-wheel drive, a four-seater car that will satisfy the most discerning and demanding owner. The concept demonstrates a commitment to innovative new propulsion technologies, new materials and elegant forms.

“The Lagonda is the luxury car of the future,” says Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, “a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials.”

The return of Lagonda fulfils a long-term vision. Aston Martin’s modern era began in 2001 with the launch of the V12 Vanquish and the construction of the award-winning headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire in 2003. In the years that followed, Aston Martin has launched four class-leading new products, revitalising the performance GT category and redefining automotive beauty.

Aston Martin’s award-winning range, the DBS, DB9, Vantage and forthcoming Rapide and One-77, represent some of the most beautiful high performance cars ever built, refined, highly crafted and extremely well-engineered. An Aston Martin will always be a sports car; modern, exclusive and beautiful, it demands to be driven, with an exceptional character that rewards the enthusiast, both on the road and on the track. Above all, an Aston Martin creates an emotional response. It is a machine with soul.

Under the leadership of Dr Ulrich Bez, Lagonda will bring performance luxury into new markets and territories around the world. Reflecting its remarkable history, Lagonda will return to Russia, enter emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, India and China, as well as responding to demand from the dynamic, innovation-focused consumers of Europe, North America and the Far East.

Not only will Lagonda join Aston Martin in existing core markets, but the unique character of the new brand will help take the company into as many as 100 territories around the world and extend the brand to new customers. “An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car,” says Dr Ulrich Bez, “but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets and have different values to Aston Martin.”

Heritage

Lagonda is one of the great names in automotive history, a brand associated with luxury, performance, grace and exclusivity. Since the first Lagonda production car, was built 100 years ago by the American-born Wilbur Gunn, the Lagonda name has undergone several incarnations, before it soon began to excel at creating racing cars and sporting saloons.

Gunn’s first car was built in his home workshop in Middlesex, England in 1909. In 1910, Gunn drove his 16/18hp Lagonda Tourer to victory in the Russian Reliability Trial, a spectacular event run by the Imperial Automobile Club of Russia as a public relations exercise for the country’s nascent road system. The win brought in many orders, and Gunn focused his attention on the Russian market, establishing dealerships in St Petersburg and Moscow in 1910.

In truth, Russian roads presented entrants with daunting driving conditions and the route, which included St Petersburg, Riga, Kiev and Moscow, was a rigorous test for any car. Gunn’s success was a vindication of the Lagonda’s sturdy build and swift performance. It was not until the following year that Lagonda began marketing cars in its home country, beginning a limited production of light cars that was eventually halted by the First World War.

Throughout the 20s and 30s, the company expanded its premises in Staines, England with the light cars giving way to more substantial touring models. Lagonda came to epitomise the Edwardian passion for setting new records and exploring new territories, with robust and reliable vehicles that could effortlessly forge trans-continental links.

In 1933, the manufacturer launched the M45 at the Olympia Motor Show in London, a sporting tourer powered by the Henry Meadows-designed six-cylinder 4.5-litre engine. The prototype was driven by the aristocrat and enthusiast Edward Russell, Lord de Clifford, from Dieppe to Brindisi in Greece, beating the express train along the same route by some 14 hours. The result was a media sensation.

The M45 quickly became known as a car for the discerning sportsman, fast and capable yet also sufficiently comfortable for long journeys. In its day it had the largest engine in its class, a distinction that attracted owners like the land speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell, who had his M45 painted in his signature blue.

The emerging sport of long-distance endurance racing also became an integral part of Lagonda’s development. In June 1935, a lightweight version of the M45 won the Le Mans 24 hours, with John Hindmarsh and Luis Fontes behind the wheel. This was a landmark achievement for the brand, as well as a highpoint of British sports car racing in the interwar era following Bentley’s heyday in the 1920s.

The same month, Lagonda was bought by Alan Good, a charismatic British lawyer whose first task was to enlist the skills of engineer W.O. Bentley. The results were the LG45 styled by Frank Feeley that represented the apex of the engineering skills of the time. In 1936, W.O. Bentley designed Lagonda’s first V12, an engine that was perfectly at home in the majestic long-wheelbase version of the new chassis.

The Lagondas of the 1930s demonstrated total harmony between engineering and appearance, including the stately LG6 model introduced in 1937. W.O. Bentley’s diligent innovation and refinement continued throughout the war, and the company developed the LG6 into a V12 model, an even more ‘imposing and dignified’ saloon that sadly ceased production before the start of the war. Simultaneously, the engineer developed a new six-cylinder engine, during the war, the benefits of which were soon to be reaped by Aston Martin.

Aston Martin’s association with Lagonda began in 1947, when David Brown, the marque’s new owner, purchased the company for £52,500. The collaboration gave Aston Martin access to W.O.Bentley’s new 2.6L DOHC six cylinder engine, as well as the talents of the company’s long-serving bodywork stylist Frank Feeley.

Feeley was responsible for the elegant drophead variant of the new 2.6 litre, the first Lagonda of the David Brown era, produced from 1948 to 1953. At the end of 1952 the 2.6 litre was developed into the 3.0 litre, which used a revised version of the W.O. Bentley engine. The two-door saloon was soon joined by a four-door and a drophead coupe. The next Lagonda was the Touring-designed Rapide of 1963, a sleek four-door saloon that shared many components with the Aston Martin DB4. Fifty-five were built, of which 48 survive. In the late 1960s, Aston Martin’s head designer, William Towns, developed a new four-door saloon from the Aston Martin DBS. Just seven examples were built in the mid 1970s.

In 1976, Aston Martin announced a Lagonda for a new era, a unique, innovative car designed by William Towns in the contemporary ‘wedge’ fashion he made his own. Standing aesthetically and technologically distinct from the Aston Martin range, the Lagonda was bold and experimental, a high performance luxury saloon for the truly discerning.

The Lagonda name was briefly revived for the Vignale Concept, an imposing luxury saloon created by Ghia Design in 1993. One example survives. The name was also used for the strictly limited production of the Lagonda Virage Saloon and Shooting Brake in 1994.

Lagonda’s history is long and eventful, encompassing two of the most significant figures in twentieth century British engineering, W.O.Bentley and David Brown, racing glory and some of the most dramatic designs in automotive history.

In the 21st century, Lagonda will return, bringing a sense of adventure and the avant-garde to the luxury car market, honouring a remarkable history while also making a bold statement for the future.

Lagonda: Did you know?

• Lagonda was founded in 1899
• Car production started in 1909
• In 1910 Lagonda began exporting to Russia
• Lagonda won Le Mans in 1935 with a lightweight version of the M45
• Aston Martin’s David Brown purchased Lagonda in 1947
• In 2009 Lagonda will celebrate the centenary of car production

Lagonda 2009

The LAGONDA CONCEPT celebrates 100 years of car production under the Lagonda brand, a stunning contemporary evolution of this evocative name.

The modern Lagonda marries functionalism with luxury, through organic forms, rich materials and complex surfaces. The car is based on an advanced platform that is tailored to accommodate a broad range of future powertrains, including flexfuel, low emission diesel and hybrid systems.

The LAGONDA CONCEPT is a four-seat international tourer, an avant-garde luxury car that draws inspiration from the brand’s illustrious past as well as the visual language of speedboat design, the spacious individualist environment of the upper class cabin and the bespoke feel of contemporary modern furniture. Inside, the four generous seats are divided into a two zones, front and rear. The result is a relaxed, rich environment that envelops you in warm, tactile materials.

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Director of Design, describes the LAGONDA CONCEPT’s design language as a fusion of fluid shapes mixed with hard, constructed lines. This organic, emotional approach eschews upright surfaces in favour of broad, flowing bodywork around the spacious passenger cabin.

The clear delineation between cabin, shoulder and flank is strongly reminiscent of the powerful and evocative lines of the 1930s era Lagondas, in particular the V12-engined version of the LG6. Viewed from the front of the concept, the deep, strong grille also evokes the presence and frontage of the cars from the inter-war era. The bold character lines that run along the sculpted flanks to the rear ensure the concept is planted firmly on the road. The large 22″ wheels and cut-away bodywork offer exceptional ground clearance, while the concept’s V12 engine delivers power through all four wheels.

A modern automotive brand must have strong core values and a broad range of abilities. The modern Lagonda will be the pre-eminent long-distance automobile, a vehicle that combines cosseting luxury with extreme functionality and technological innovation.

The Lagonda name has been an integral part of the Aston Martin story since 1947. The LAGONDA CONCEPT illustrates how the brand will once again stand together with Aston Martin as the perfect complement to modern performance. A Lagonda stands for functional elegance, performance, simplicity and comfort.

“Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package,” says Dr Ulrich Bez. “An Aston Martin demands to be driven. A Lagonda demands a destination.”