Shropshire Star

New Aston Martin DBX put through its paces on rally stage

First look at SUV which is to be manufactured at all-new site in south Wales

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EMBARGO: 00:01 GMT Wednesday 14 November 2018 Aston Martin DBX is put through its paces in south wales

Aston Martin has given a first look at its all-new DBX SUV during rigorous testing.

The new car, which is to be built at Aston Martin’s new, state-of-the-art facility in St Athan, south Wales, has been put through gruelling testing on a Wales Rally stage, marking the start of the ‘real world’ tests it will undergo.

These will see it taken to the world’s harshest environments to ensure that it is up to any challenge before being fully revealed in the last quarter of 2019.

EMBARGO: 00:01 GMT Wednesday 14 November 2018 The all-new SUV is being built in a brand-new facility in St Athan
Aston Martin5th / 6th November 2018Photo: Drew Gibson

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group chief executive officer, 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.”

The DBX has been given its own dedicated test programme to ensure that it meets its go-anywhere targets. It’s being designed to not only build on the sporting heritage that comes with the Aston Martin name, but also deliver the off-road capabilities that are expected of a cutting-edge SUV.

EMBARGO: 00:01 GMT Wednesday 14 November 2018 The DBX will officially be launched at the end of 2019
(Aston Martin/PA)

Matt Becker, Aston Martin chief engineer, said: “We have already developed and tuned 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.”

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