Aston Martin’s St Athan plant in Wales has kicked
off pre-production of the DBX crossover. Announced in early 2016, the
British brand’s second facility (after Gaydon in Warwickshire) is located on a
former Ministry of Defense site that has been modernized and employees 200
people, who will soon be joined by 550 more, along with roughly 3,000 across
the supply chain and local businesses.
The St Athan plant will be the sole plant were the
DBX will be made. It’s also Lagonda’s ‘Home of Electrification’, as well as its
manufacturing home. Set to be unveiled at the end of the year, the brand’s first ever SUV
commenced real-world testing in 2018. So far, it has been tested in different
environments all over the globe, from the Arctic Circle’s sub-zero temperatures
to the demanding Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack.
Currently in its final stages of development, the
DBX is expected to offer proper on- and off-road performance. It will be
powered by a 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 made by Mercedes-AMG, which will put out
510 PS and 685 Nm of torque – essentially the
same unit used in the Vantage. It’s also expected to get a V12 and a hybrid
powertrain later on, which will help it solidify its position in the segment
that includes vehicles such as the Porsche Cayenne.
