Our cup runneth over. Just when you thought the established mid-engined supercar makers had the sector sewn up, along comes yet another one.
The Aston Martin ‘Vanquish’, or whatever it’ll be called, will join the new Maserati MC20, and the latest Chevrolet Corvette C8, as new entries to the mid-engined fast car realm, alongside, of course, the ones from makers that already operate in this sphere: the Ferrari F8 Tributo and its 296 GTB replacement, McLarens various (the 720S now, and plug-in Artura soon), the Lamborghini Huracán and the Audi R8.
Then of course there are some even more niche choices, like the Honda NSX, an upcoming new Noble M500 (which is proper, proper niche).
Then there's a new Lotus Emira positioned underneath every single one of them, threatening to make them all look a bit excessive.
Lotus says the Emira will be its last petrol-powered sports car and the Porsche Cayman is going the same way, with its replacement to be battery electric.
I sense, then, that there's something of a last hurrah about this influx of mid-engined, big-engined supercars. Small-volume models like these may get an extended fuel-burning stay after more mainstream vehicles have turned electrified, but sitlll, it sounds like a flurry of combustion before the upcoming silence.
Among all of these supercars, then, how would one find sufficient space to offer something unique? To carve out its niche, I think the new Aston Martin would ideally be one of two things: either sufficiently different from the others that there’s a compelling reason to buy one, or clearly better than the rest.
In a market more crowded than some hatchback segments, I’m not sure which is easier. Meantime, who said the supercar was dead?
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Well, I guess I was wrong, more World News cynicism than actually comments on the article, infact, the comments are usually the last three lines, making different types of car?, have to sell lots don't you?, make limited runs of cars like the Aston especially if they're not like the others, with some innovation will sell because they target buyers can afford them, they'll have more than one car, brand etc, so politics?, not a Car, is it?
.........until the current wave of defaults in China's poperty sector finally breaks containment, and just like Covid - World economies drop like dominos. Or it could be Russia, at this point, where the spark comes from is moot.
After which crash, similar to both previous property sector crashes - these mid-engined sports cars will be lined up in airport car parks abandoned.
Not sure this is the right direction for Aston anyway - they should be focusing on sporting luxury, front engined GTs, coupes and convertibles (Vantage, DB, V car), not on a range of me too mid engined supercars. If there is diversification to be done surely it is by using the Lagonda brand for a four door range of sporting luxury SUVs and saloons (Taraf successor, Urus rival) to complement the two door Astons.
I agree.