Geneva motor show: Aston Martin springs surprise with high-riding DBX

Aston Martin has just pulled the covers off its DBX concept, a high-riding, rough-terrain SUV-cum-coupe. The car is being displayed at the Geneva motor show os as to allow Aston to gauge public response to including such a car in its lineup. The likelihood is that a production version is already well developed though. Aston last showed a Mercedes-based SUV, badged as a Lagonda, six years ago but the reaction to the car was quite poor. Since then, the luxury SUV market has exploded and Aston is being left behind by rivals such as Porsche, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini – all of whom either already have big SUVs on sale or are well along the road to having one in showrooms.

The DBX, looking for all the world like a mash-up between a DB9, a BMW X6 and a Dakar buggy, has four wheel -drive and while Aston isn't giving away any tech details of the production version just yet, it's likely that it will use the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, as part of Mercedes' five per cent shareholding in the sports car maker.

Or will it? The DBX is actually all-electric, with lithium-ion batteries sandwiched into the chassis. Aston isn't making any performance claims for the car yet, but it's a first toe in the zero-emissions water for Aston, while there are other tech surprises too – drive-by-wire steering for instance, as well as auto-dimming glass and heads up displayed for both driver and passenger. Aston is often accused of being behind the tech curve, this looks like a serious marker in the sand for a more gigabytes-friendly future.

The paint work, referred to as Black Pearl Chromium, is meant to mimic the appearance of a dark pearl while inside there is soft Nubuck leather and gold highlighting on the metal surfaces.

Unveiling the concept, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “The DBX Concept is a challenge to the existing status quo in the high luxury GT segment. It envisages a world, perhaps a world not too far away, when luxury GT travel is not only stylish and luxurious but also more practical, more family-friendly and more environmentally responsible.

“I asked my team at Aston Martin to expand their thinking beyond conventions, to explore what the future of luxury GT motoring would look like in years ahead, and the DBX Concept you see before you is the result.

Dr Palmer added: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future. The DBX Concept is more than a thought starter for us and for our customers, though. We will, in due course, be entering a car into the new DBX space and I am very much looking forward to seeing how this concept is received not only here today, but also by our legion of existing loyal customers and by those potential customers around the world who have, to this point, yet to consider one of our cars.”

A full production model will probably have four doors, rather than the coupe layout of the concept.