By: Dave Abrahams
Geneva Motor Show - It's all very well to encourage your designers to think outside the box, but this Aston Martin concept doesn't even have a box!
Not in the conventional sense, at least. It has no engine compartment - and nothing to put in it, in any case.
New Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer, unveiling the DBX concept on the first press day at the Geneva motor show said it was intended to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment.
“The DBX Concept is a challenge to the status quo,” he said. “It envisages a world, perhaps not too far away, where luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.
“This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it's more than just a thought starter for us and for our customers. We will, in due course, enter this arena with a production car, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this concept is received.”
PURE ELECTRIC
So this, then, is a clear indication of what will, in the foreseeable future, be an extension of Aston Martin's existing range: a pure electric, all-wheel drive GT car with a 'platter motor' inside each wheel, fed by a tray of lithium sulphur batteries under the floor.
It has drive-by-wire electric steering and carbon ceramic brakes, as well as a kinetic energy recovery system that uses the motors to slow the wheels down and charge the batteries at the same time, active LED headlights and toughened glass with an auto-dimming 'smart glass' layer inside the laminate.
Rear view cameras replace conventional mirrors, and there are customisable driver and front passenger head-up displays.
The DBX seats four adults in comfort, and offers exceptional luggage capacity because both the rear cargo bay and the space under the bonnet can take be used for it.
AUTHENTIC MATERIALS
The DBX is finished with a special paint, created to look just like a black pearl, with a micro-fine layer of chromium to give it a level of shine you just can't get with conventional paints.
The exterior trim, by contrast, is machined out of solid billet aluminium, with jewel-like milling lines left visible to emphasise the craftsmanship required to create them.
Inside, the designers deliberately used materials you wouldn't expect to find in an automotive environment to create a soft, welcoming ambience.
It's upholstered in velvet-like Nubuck leather, a very upmarket form of suede made from the outer, most expensive 'top grain' layer of cowhide.
Where the edges are exposed, they reveal a sandwiched accent layer, more usually found in high-quality furniture, while the interior trim elements are made the same way as the outside trim - with an additional gold 'pin stripe' on the edging.