Aston Martin DBS successor to become V12-powered supercar – report

The successor to the current Aston Martin DBS will ditch the brand’s grand tourer origins and morph into a true supercar with V12 power, according to one of the British car maker’s leading executives.

Speaking to UK publication Autocar, Aston Martin’s chief creative officer Marek Reichman told the magazine the DBS – which has historically been a flagship model based on the ‘regular’ DB range – will lead the brand’s reinvented line-up of performance luxury cars.

Mr Reichman says the DBS successor will be “completely different” to the replacements for the current DB12 and Vantage, both expected to remain anchored to the car-maker’s grand touring roots.

The brand’s Director of Product and Market Strategy, Alex Long, also hinted the upcoming supercar could revive the Vanquish nameplate – a badge which has been absent from the Aston Martin line-up since 2018 – as it wants flagship models to use a ‘V’ name.

According to Mr Long, Aston Martin wants to have a true series-production supercar rather than focusing solely on its DB-series grand tourers and DBX SUV.

“The focus on performance as a pillar of the brand is critical,” Mr Long told Autocar. “Historically, we’ve been a performance brand as well as a luxury brand, and we’re moving back to that.” 

The Aston Martin DBS’s successor will also continue to be powered by a V12 engine, an association which Mr Long believes is synonymous with the marque’s flagship models.

Aston Martin is preparing to farewell the current DBS – on sale since 2018 – with a 499-example ‘DBS 770 Ultimate’ edition, powered by a 566kW/900Nm version of the standard car’s 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine.

Autocar suggests the long-running ‘AE’ V12 could be carried across to the unnamed supercar and receive a power bump, making it the most powerful Aston Martin road car ever.