New Aston Martin boss outlines bold transformation plan

With a V12 engine, active aerodynamics and active suspension, the Valkyrie is set to break many records for a road car, achieving Formula 1 levels of performance. It has been developed with Red Bull, which Moers said is “really good” to work with, even after the two severed their F1 tie-up at the end of last year when Aston owner Lawrence Stroll turned his Racing Point team into a Gaydon works entry.

Beyond that, the Aston DBX SUV is set to spawn a second variant in September, understood to be a straight-six-powered mild-hybrid version to serve as the entry-level model.

Another variant will join it in April 2022, targeted at “one player from Italy that has the market too comfortable at the moment” – understood to be a high-powered V8 version to take on the Lamborghini Urus.

Moers said there will also be “a broader line-up for the Vantage and Aston Martin DB11” – something that has already begun with the new Vantage F1 Edition, a significantly more powerful and focused model that can lap the Nürburgring 13 seconds faster than the standard Porsche 911 rival.

It is also the first Aston car that Moers, a former Autocar Awards Engineering Hero, has been involved in developing.

Furthermore, the DB11, Vantage and DBS Superleggera will all be facelifted in the next 18 months. “We have an overaged sports car line,” explained Moers. “The new Vantage, DB11 and DBS will be the same generation but have new infotainment and so many other new things.”

Aston previously planned to relaunch Lagonda as a tech-focused Rolls-Royce rival with bespoke models, but Moers believes that this idea was “plain wrong, as it dilutes from the main brand”.

He views Lagonda “as a more luxurious brand”, but said: “We’re still defining it.”

Moers added that Aston will produce Lagonda variants of its existing models with a greater focus on luxury, similar to Mercedes and Maybach.

Racing in F1 makes Aston a sportier brand, he claimed, so its road cars will follow that altered brief – but make “more room for luxury” too.

Aston will launch a series of its own plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars across all of its segments, which Moers believes will bring “even more opportunities for the brand”, as a skateboard-style architecture will allow it “to find its own niche” with different bodystyles, while also allowing for greater modularity and therefore greater economies of scale across its model lines.

“You could do a 2+2 and an SUV probably with a similar platform,” Moers said.

An electric sports car is expected from 2025, when Aston starts to replace its front-engined models. “You do the facelifts, then it’s three or four years and you’re fully electrified,” said Moers.

An electric version of the DBX is understood to be set to arrive at a similar time.

Aston makes production gains

Aston Martin boss Tobias Moers says there has been a “double-digit” improvement in quality since his arrival at the company last summer, because he has overhauled its manufacturing process.

The number of faults per car has been reduced at pre-delivery inspections, while the manufacturing process has been streamlined, with all three front-engined models now built on the same production line at Gaydon, instead of on two, and fewer parts held in stock next to the line.