Lagonda confirms zero-emissions SUV for 2021
BY JUSTIN HILLIARD | 10th May 2018
JUST in time for the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s reveal overnight, Aston Martin’s recently-established zero-emissions luxury brand, Lagonda, has confirmed plans for its own SUV model, which will debut in 2021.
Rolls-Royce and Lagonda have bickered since March over which marque has the right to claim the title of the world’s first zero-emissions luxury brand, but it appears the latter may beat the former to the punch.
While Rolls-Royce has committed to skipping petrol-electric hybrid powertrains to go directly to pure-electric set-ups, it is yet to put a firm date on the arrival of such a model.
Its next model, the Cullinan, is expected to employ the eight-generation Phantom’s 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine, which produces 420kW of power and 900Nm of torque in the upper-large sedan.
Lagonda is charging ahead with plans for its first two zero-emissions models, the SUV and a yet-to-be-confirmed body style, that will launch in 2023 and likely be either a two-door coupe or a five-door liftback.
The latter was previewed by the Vision Concept revealed at the Geneva motor show in March this year, with it taking the form of a pure-electric, Level 4 autonomous vehicle.
While Lagonda did not explicitly detail the Vision Concept’s powertrain, it revealed its solid-state battery pack provides a real-world driving range of up to 644 kilometres, while wireless charging and a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system feature.
These technologies are likely to be adopted by the unnamed SUV, but given Lagonda’s zero-emissions brief, it is unclear if future models would be purely battery-electric or another green powertrain, such as a hydrogen fuel-cell set-up.
Aston Martin president and chief executive officer Andy Palmer explained that by establishing Lagonda as a stand-alone brand, the British car-maker can undertake a modern approach to its models.
“In reviving one of the most iconic names in motoring, we have created a unique opportunity,” he said. “One that allows us to cast aside an inherited 20th-century approach and instead design cars around 21st-century demands and desires.
“The Lagonda SUV is the first of its kind – a spacious, high-performance 4x4 that successfully reconciles a love of technology, luxury and style.”
Lagonda has released a conceptual sketch of the forthcoming SUV alongside a drawing of the similar-looking Vision Concept, but its design should be taken with a grain of salt considering the particularly sharp front- and rear-end styling.
According to Aston Martin executive vice-president and chief creative officer Marek Reichman, despite the onset of electrification and autonomy, Lagonda will prove that luxury and technology can co-exist.
“The Lagonda SUV will retain the boldness of the Vision Concept,” he said. “Lagonda is a luxury brand, but it is also one rooted in technology.
“It will be like no other SUV to drive, so its looks have to reflect that new reality and to serve as pathfinder to a future in which the most desirable and prestigious automobiles still have a place.”
Given Aston Martin is busy preparing the DBX SUV ahead of its production run next year, it could share its platform with the equivalent Lagonda model.
When the DBX and Lagonda SUV hit showrooms, they will go toe to toe with other high-end crossovers, such as Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and Maserati Levante – any of which could spring a pure-electric model first.
