2018 Aston Martin Vantage will be “effectively all-new”, design chief promises
Next-gen sports car to distance itself further from DB11
The next-generation 2018 Aston Martin Vantage will differentiate itself further from the DB11 when it makes its debut later this year or early next, according to the company's head of design.
Speaking with CarAdvice at the launch of the new Zagame Aston Martin dealership in Richmond, Melbourne, design director and chief creative officer for the British marque, Marek Reichman, said we can expect a "huge difference" in design between the new models.
"One of the tasks that [Andy Palmer, CEO] set me when he came on board, was that he takes his mum to the showroom and points at a DB11 and points at a Vantage and she should be able to tell the difference between the two cars," he said.
"You will see with new Vantage that there are only two things that are shared between the two products on the outside visually - the door handles. Everything else is new, the panel work is new and the bodywork is new."
Reichman added that the new-generation sports car will also have a distinct, more focused character than that of the DB11, and essentially be an all-new product.
"Some of the under-structure, the bonding methodology we use, the architecture is part of the same group, but the car is effectively an all-new car versus DB11," he said.
"They're very distinct characters. A samurai sword and a scalpel are both knives, but they're very different. The DB11 is a samurai sword and the Vantage is a scalpel."
"You'll see that immediately when you see the car - purity, simple - it's a focused sports car versus a super GT [like the DB11]," Reichman added.
Prototypes for the next-generation Vantage have been spied a couple of times over the last six months, looking like a Frankenstein made of DB11 parts and temporary sheet metal.
It's expected the V8 Vantage will trade its naturally-aspirated 4.7-litre V8 for a 4.0-litre twin-turbo mill sourced from Mercedes-AMG.
Expect the availability of both manual and automatic transmissions, along with both coupe and Roadster convertible body styles.
The new Aston Martin Vantage is expected to make its debut in coupe towards the end of 2017, which means Australian deliveries won't arrive until at least early-2018, with the Roadster arriving around six months later.
Stay tuned to CarAdvice for more updates in the coming months.
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Podcast
Listen to James Wong interview Marek Reichman below, and catch more like this at caradvice.com/podcast.