We've always thought of the Aston Martin Lagonda SUV as being former CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez’s pet project. But now that Bez is out of the management picture over at Aston, it looks like the Lagonda SUV is heading out with him.
Aston Martin->ke13 Director of Design Marek Reichman recently talked to Pistonheads about the state of the company in the post-Bez era and the discussion brought about an update on the state of the long-awaited SUV.
If you’ve been waiting for the release of the model, maybe now’s the best time to turn away. With Bez out as CEO, the Lagonda SUV is no more.
“That was a different time,” Reichmann told Pistonheads. “It was Ulrich’s time. And now we’re in a very, very different time, with a different plan and with a different projection of what that brand should become.”
Part of that plan is retaining the Lagonda->ke3711 brand. But instead of building it as an SUV, Aston is now setting its sights on turning the Lagonda into its own exclusive marque.
That means more attention to exclusivity and less on the idea of mass production, which was something that Aston initially planned for the Lagonda SUV->ke145.
Click past the jump to read more about Aston Martin Lagonda SUV.
Why It Matters
So what does this all mean? Our best guess is that Aston will focus more on building exclusive models that will cater to specific markets like China. Maybe the four-door Lagonda will be resurrected in favor of the SUV? That was something Reichmann alluded to when he talked about the rising level of sophistication in the Asian markets.
There’s still a lot of time to sort things out now that Aston is headed in a new direction. Dr. Ulrich Bez’s departure caused a lot of upheaval within the ranks of the British automaker, and it’s looking more and more evident now that the Lagonda SUV went with him.
Aston Martin Lagonda
The status of the Aston Martin Lagonda SUV changed courses numerous times since the concept first burst onto the scene back in 2009. There was initial talk of producing it. Then it was scrapped. Then it was brought back. Heck, even Mercedes reportedly got into the picture to determine the feasibility of a joint collaboration between the two brands.
Ultimately, it does look like the Lagonda has been scrapped for good now that one of its biggest supporters is no longer in charge.
We can't say we're going to miss it because we've long been down on the Lagonda SUV as a cheap-looking SUV that had no business being built by the same company that produces the V12 Vantage.