The start of production of a bold new model at a brand-new factory is something car firms usually like to make a big thing out of: a huge press event, lots of visiting dignitaries and much pomp and circumstance.

And when it comes to new cars, few are more important or significant than the Aston Martin DBX, the British firm’s first SUV - and upon which the future of the company may well rest.

Predictably, though, the event to mark the start of DBX production didn’t feel quite as exciting and upbeat as the firm would have liked. And not just because of, well, you know (insert brave new world/new normal/strange times clichés here).

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Aston Martin’s recent financial struggles have been well documented. The launch of the DBX comes with the company having recently posted heavy losses - now exacerbated by the financial hit of Covid-19 - with a depressed share price, having recently shed numerous jobs. The firm is also between chief executives and just beginning a major restructure under the leadership of new chairman Lawrence Stroll.

Difficult times, then, but all that only serves to increase the importance of the already crucial DBX. It would be significant enough as the brand’s first SUV, but it’s more than that: it’s the car the future of the company depends on. Aston might be a sports car firm at heart, but the DBX is set to account for half of its sales next year. Maybe more. Put simply, Aston can’t afford the DBX to fail.