Sep 16, 2008

Aston Martin Will Revive Lagonda

There was a time when Lagonda ranked high among the world’s top luxury makes. Aston Martin hopes that time will come again. With ultra-luxury sedans like the Maserati Quattroporte doing well in the market and Porsche about to enter the fray with its own luxo-sedan, the British specialty car builder is considering an expansion into the four-door market, and it intends to use the well-regarded Lagonda name -- which it has owned for years -- as one of its calling cards.

“After my eight years with Aston Martin, four with profitability, and 16 months of independence, it’s time to think about a longer-term future,” Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez said in a statement. “We have now investigated and concluded that the revival of the Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars, which can have a different character than a sports car and therefore offer a perfect synergy.”

Bez promised that Lagonda will use a unique design language in much the same way that Aston Martin does, and the sedan will not be “retro.” Instead, he suggested that the design will take elements of DNA from the past but will be very future-orientated. The CEO said that he had high hopes for Lagonda. 

“With Lagonda offering exclusive, luxurious and truly versatile products with high quality and usability, and suitable for both existing and emerging markets, I believe we can be present in more than 100 countries in the world,” he said. “In 2009, Lagonda is about to celebrate its 100^th birthday, and in its centenary year, we are confident that we will show the first concept of a car, which could be in the market in 2012.”