The cars in Aston Martin's future

The automotive side of the internet is full of Mystic-Marks-&-Megs, speculating on what their spirit guide is telling them lays ahead, and how fast they foresee those cars to be. Most of the time, these people are complete and utter blithering idiots that are just looking for something to say. But throughout all the conjecture of people trying to grab the hand of a manufacturer and read their palm, every now and again, a car maker lets you have a look into their more accurate crystal ball.  

Aston Martin are such a manufacturer, having made it public knowledge what cars they'll be releasing between now and 2023. While the details on all the cars they've specified are limited, there are pieces of information available to us that when put together can help paint a clearer picture of what's to come. So, without any further ado, here's a list of the cars in Aston Martin's future...  

DBS – 2018: 

Credit: Autocar

Credit: Autocar

The next new Aston we're going to see released is the new generation of their Super-GT, the DBS. Original rumoured to be a Vanquish, Aston have since confirmed they will be utilising the DBS name to replace the old Vanquish. Replacing the old and absolutely glorious normally aspirated car, the DBS will utilise a more powerful version of the DB11's 5.2L Twin-Turbo V12 – hopefully, with an injection of needed aggression. Expect around 650bhp, with styling echoing that of the DB11, with a sprinkling of anger.  

DBX – 2019: 

Credit: Autocar

Credit: Autocar

Yes, Aston Martin are joining the plethora of other high-end manufacturers in making an SUV. Styling will most likely emulate that of the electric concept of the same name that was teased a couple of years ago. And given that the concept was electric, we can't ignore the possibility that the production model might be fully electric too. Personally however, I'd bet that the DBX will be powered by an AMG 4L Twin-Turbo V8 just like their Vantage and DB11 V8.  

While the idea of an Aston Martin SUV may sound like sacrilege to some, it can't be denied that it would be foolish of Aston not to try and cash in on this extremely lucrative segment. Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Maserati, Bentley, and Lamborghini all produce SUVs, with Rolls Royce having recently pulled the covers off their Cullinan SUV, and Lotus and Ferrari set to reveal their entries in 2019. In its popularity, the SUV market is also becoming one of the most hotly contested there is. Pressure's on Aston to get the DBX right.  

Valkyrie – 2019:

Credit: Aston Martin

Credit: Aston Martin

The hypercar that everyone's talking about – and when I say "talking", I mean "pulling numbers out of their arse to try and guess the performance". We know the Valkyrie will be powered by a Cosworth-built 6.5L NA V12; we know it'll also use electric motors; we know those motors will replace 1st and reverse gears in the brand-new concept gearbox that the Valkyrie will be debuting; and we know that the power-to-weight ratio will be around the 1000bhp-per-tonne mark. But what we don't know is just what kind of teleportation the Valkyrie will be capable of.  

In 2019 however, we will know, as the car will be in production, being delivered to affluent owners. From my perspective, I believe the dictionary will need re-writing to accommodate the sexual and terrified noises this car will inspire out of those who try to describe its speed. It will pitch itself at a place far beyond where the gravitas of words can touch.

Mid-Engined Supercar – 2020:

Credit: Samir Sadikhov

Credit: Samir Sadikhov

The mid-engined supercar segment is one that Aston Martin have never entered before. The car you see above is in fact merely a virtual concept – called the DBC – and is not affiliated with Aston Martin at all. Shame, because as you can see, it's desperately beautiful. 

Aston's supercar will be directed at the Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracan, and McLaren 720S – or, as Aston should've specified, whatever their equivalents be at the time of its release. After all, Aston won't be releasing their as-yet-untitled mid-engined supercar until 2020. By that time, the 488 will have gone out of production to be replaced by a hybrid, the Huracan will also be dead and in its place be a V8 turbocharged hybrid, and McLaren will probably be producing a lighter more powerful version of the 720S – before that is they replace it with a hybrid!  

Given the time Aston said they'll be releasing it, and given how the performance car world is changing, you have to wonder whether their supercar will be a hybrid. If it is, expect it to be powered by that ubiquitous AMG 4L Twin-Turbo V8, which with the motors should be good for north of 750bhp. It will need to be fast, yet futureproof. But even if it doesn't win the race, it might well win the beauty pageant. 

Lagonda – 2021:

CreditL Aston Martin

CreditL Aston Martin

A luxury 4-door saloon has an important place within the Aston Martin range, and so does the Lagonda nameplate, which they'll be resurrecting in 2021. We can only hope that the new Lagonda will be an improvement on the now defunct Rapide, which yes, was an excellent car – apart from the fact that the rear seats were off limits to anyone with legs. 

The last time the Lagonda name was affiliated with an Aston Martin, it was back in 2015 on the limited-run $1,000,000 Lagonda Taraf. Just after that car came out, Aston Martin announced that the next luxury saloon they'd make would forego the blissful heartbeat of internal combustion and succumb to the silence of pure electricity. If the new Lagonda was to arrive without an engine – which given the climate in which it'll be produced, I'd say was a definite possibility – I have to concede that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. After all, the Lagonda is a luxury limo, which personally, I see as a rather ideal candidate for the soundlessness of electric motors. 

DB12 – 2023:

Credit: Aston Martin

Credit: Aston Martin

If all what's been revealed in this blog so far wasn't daunting enough, in 2023, the saga will begin again, from an entirely new design direction. The DB11's replacement will cue the start of the next era of Aston Martin, and the first in the selection of model replacements we've looked at here. From the DB12 will come the next Vantage, then the next Vanquish, and so on.  

Of course, there's no guarantee that it'll be called the DB12; if they followed their traditional naming system, they'd skip the even numbers and go straight for the DB13. I guess we'll have to wait until 2023 to find out whether Aston Martin are superstitious enough to change the fundamentals of what will be a 29-year-old naming system. 

Written by: Angelo Uccello 

Twitter: @AngeloUccello 

Tribe: Speed Machines 

Facebook: Speed Machines - DriveTribe