Prototype of Aston Martin’s First SUV begins testing

Aston Martin are following in the footsteps of Lamborghini's Urus, Rolls Royce's Cullinan and Bentley's Bentayga with their hotly-anticipated first SUV, the DBX.

Real world testing has just begun. The disguised DBX was spotted at the mountainous and challenging Welsh Rally Stage, a nod to Aston Martin’s new St. Athan production facility in the Vale of Glamorgan. This is expected to be the first stage in a rigorous and extensive testing procedure during which the DBX will be subjected to a punishing regime taking in some of the world’s harshest environments, from the frozen Artic to scorching deserts. It will also be pushed to its limits on the most demanding racetrack on the planet, the Nurburgring. 

Aston Martin’s chief engineer and test driver, Matt Becker, said: ‘We have already developed and tuned the DBX in the driving simulator, which has enabled us to make excellent progress in advance of the first physical prototype cars being available. Still, it’s always a big day when you get to put the first actual miles on an early prototype and I’m delighted with the near perfect correlation between the simulator and this prototype. As an engineer, it’s genuinely exciting to get a feel for the car you’re working to create. DBX is a very different kind of Aston Martin, but we will be testing it in all conditions and across all terrains to ensure it delivers a driving experience worthy of the wings badge’.

The DBX is scheduled to be unveiled in late 2019 and go on sale in 2020. Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Andy Palmer said: “Seeing a DBX development prototype in action is a momentous chapter in the story of our first SUV, for it is the moment it really comes alive. DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in St Athan. As such, it is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”