The first car to be produced under Aston Martin’s revival of Lagonda could be based on a Mercedes S-class, if a proposed partnership between Aston and Mercedes goes ahead.
Due in 2012, the car (a large luxury saloon) would be conceived, developed and produced alongside the next-gen Maybach, which will also use the W222 platform from the next Mercedes S-class. The new Lagonda will be engineered to support advanced new hybrid drive systems and new pre-scan suspension technology. The platform has been described as the German car maker’s most advanced system to date.
While Mercedes is set to deliver the platform, the engineering of bodyshells for the two marques would be handled by Aston Martin. By joining forces in such a way, development time and overall costs would be slashed.
At the same time, the two car makers could look forward to increased economies of scale in the longer term, an important factor with models that are likely to sell in very low numbers.
The proposed co-operation is being headed by Aston Martin Lagonda boss Ulrich Bez and Mercedes chairman Dieter Zetsche.
It builds on a parts-sharing deal in which upcoming Aston Martin models will use engine and driveline combinations from Mercedes-Benz. The deal includes a development of the petrol-electric hybrid system recently unveiled in the new S400 Hybrid, and a reworked version of the Maybach’s twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 engine.
For details of the other projects that Mercedes and Aston are working on, see the 5 November issue of Autocar.
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Re: New Lagonda: it's an S-class
Welcome to the post 1970s...
It'd be nice for it to be British, but they could never compete on the world stage without external collaboration, unless they remained a quirky and at-risk manufacturer such as Bristol (who use American engines). The previous 6.0 was cosworth developed (based on ford v6) however so did have a British angle to it. Yet even that didn't really have the balls to make the cars interesting and compete with the power units coming up in BMWs, Ferraris, 911s and even Mercedes.
I find this interesting - collaborating with a manufacturer whose bits are a bit more worthy of being in an Aston; with Ford on the other hand you get the feeling they didn't know how to run such an upmarket marque. I think they tried hard and did a good job overall. The deal with Mercedes should take it to the next stage. To have the grunt of the 6.0 V12 turbo will make them a whole deal more interesting to many, although I'll miss the sound of the Aston V12, and it's was probably lighter and able to be mounted lower?
Re: New Lagonda: it's an S-class
well said Koyaa
Re: New Lagonda: it's an S-class