► Second Lagonda concept
► All-electric, All-Terrain
► Revealed in full at Geneva
After kickstarting the Lagonda brand with the slick Vision Concept at the 2018 Geneva motor show, Aston Martin has returned to the 2019 Geneva motor show with an evolution of this idea called the All-Terrain Concept.
As you can probably guess from the name this new concept stands taller than last year’s Vision Concept, but retains the broad design strokes of its lower, svelte sibling. Not to mention its all-electric drivetrain.
Like most electric cars, the new Lagonda concept goes big on all the benefits EV powertrains bring; so there’s a surprisingly expansive interior and a very unconventional exterior design.
Tell us more about the Lagonda All-Terrain’s design and engineering
The engineering is quite interesting. Aston says much of the Lagonda All-Terrain’s strength comes from the floor where the batteries are stored. This strength is partially what’s allowed the rear-hinged doors, which are becoming a bit of a Lagonda theme.
The rear lights are hidden, and project downwards to the ‘beam’ illumination out. Aston describes this feature as ‘turning the functional into the fantastic’. Right.
The back of the Lagonda concept also hides a slide out shelf, intended as a viewing platform – somewhere for passengers to sit and look at the landscape they’ve just conquered, apparently.
On the inside, the front seats can be rotated to face the passengers in the rear, but there’s more of a focus on driving than in the previous Lagonda Vision concept. The vast windows allow you to look up as well as out.
Aston’s long-running tradition of mucking about with keys – remember the old ‘Emotional Control Unit’ that used to occasionally eject itself so hard it wound up behind the front seats – really comes to the fore here as well.
The All-Terrain’s key floats over the centre console on an electro-magnetic cushion.
How close is this to the production Lagonda and when does it go on sale?
The Lagonda SUV won’t go into production looking exactly like this, but it gives a clear hint of the design direction that could be seen on production Lagona models ‘as soon as 2022’.
The new range of all-electric luxury Lagondas will be built alongside the DBX at Aston’s new facility at St Athan in Wales, where around 170 people are already employed.
Andy Palmer is presumably quite pleased?
‘Historically Geneva has always been good for us – the buzz surrounding the stand last year when we revealed the Lagonda Vision Concept was truly remarkable – so it’s fantastic to return to the scene of such great success with another world debut,’ said Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO.
‘The Lagonda All-Terrain Concept offers explicit clues regarding what will be the first Lagonda model to enter production, and further demonstrates how Lagonda’s zero emission powertrain enables us to create spectacular cars that will radically redefine their sectors of the market.’
What about the supercars?
First the DBX, and now this – has Aston gone-off the beaten track you ask? Apparently not. The British brand is bringing a Vantage, DB11 AMR and DBS Superleggera to the Swiss show too – and two of those will have been fettled by Gaydon’s bespoke Q branch craftsman.
Further electric car reading
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Future electric cars: upcoming EVs to look out for