Aston Martin has confirmed it will relaunch the Lagonda brand with a new saloon to rival the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
To get an idea of what to expect from this bold new proposition, we speak to the man responsible for creating the concept that will inspire it, Aston Martin Lagonda design boss Marek Reichman.
What’s the thinking behind the Lagonda?
“It’s a game changer for luxury products in the future, what luxury can be and what it will be. The world is changing, but look at luxury: it’s still very traditional. Luxury and technology haven’t been combined yet.
Look at Rolls-Royce: it’s the most luxurious car in the world. Given its roots, its reason for being, it’s essentially still an internal combustion engine to replace a horse, a carriage and a trunk. It’s an imperfect package for luxury.”
Why go purely electric?
“Electrification in particular has huge advantages for the layout of cars. You can put the weight and the powerplant where you want it. It’s not determined by history, pushing or pulling a carriage. There’s a freedom to think differently.”
A history of Aston Martin Lagonda
Has Tesla taken that advantage of electric car design?
“No, it’s a not-so-good-looking Aston Martin Aston Rapide. It has the same silhouette as a Rapide. Does it take advantage of all aspects of electrification? No. Look at technology, and no one has combined luxury and technology to be a leader. But to give Tesla credit, they’ve changed the perception of electric propulsion. If they had gone this far, there would have been negative consequences. Tesla eased into future technology with something we recognised.”
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Confused isn't he?
I think he's actually confused Lagonda for Lanchester.
The exploitation of heritage brands
It doesn't matter how forward thinking it is or how much new technology there is going into it, they still need to rely on the Lagonda 'heritage brand', formed way back in 1906, to sell it. In fact that seems to be the formula these days for selling luxury. You can sell any old snake oil, just make sure you've bought the rights to use an age old name to give it some credibility beforehand. We've seen it in fashion, fragrance, luggage etc. and it's becoming commonplace in cars. Look at how Ford resurrected the Vignale name, which was actually discontinued by Ford in 1973, to justify an overpriced line of cars with leather and a few luxury extras. "Well sir, yes, it is expensive, but it's got Vignale badges on it".
Anyone for Napier?
Time for Rolls-Royce to wheel out a sub-brand for its more upmarket models.
Another super-sized ego.
Another super-sized ego. Gerry McGovern is not alone.
But at least McGovern's cars have fine detailing.