Are the world’s super-rich bored? Aston Martin thinks so. Bored and ready for the next big thing. Whatever else the Lagonda “Vision Concept” is, it’s undeniably big – physically and philosophically.
A fully electric super-limo that’s aiming for the “white space” above and beyond even the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lagonda has aspirations to being the world’s first zero emissions luxury brand, to “confound”, and to align time-honoured luxury tropes with the new frontiers being pushed variously in Silicon Valley and more importantly Shanghai.
“What is modern luxury? There’s a very traditional point of view in the luxury segment, yet things have changed massively, particularly in the past two or three years,” Aston Martin Lagonda’s director of design Miles Nurnberger says. “There’s a much more progressive attitude – the whole world has become more of an early adopter.”
You might remember the Lagonda name. It actually pre-dates the Aston Martin brand – an American expat called Wilbur Gunn founded it in 1906 – but it’s had a turbulent life since then, the wonderfully wedgey Seventies iteration arguably the most important milestone. The mothership has decided that trends among the new global super-elite mean that now is the time to dust the badge down. (“It’s a 110-year old start-up,” Aston’s vice president Simon Sproule says.)
Crucially, it also allows the company to scope out new territory without muddying the Aston Martin message. So, what happens when you marry the concepts of fully electric propulsion, autonomous driving, and almost unimaginable levels of luxury? A car like no other, and certainly one that looks like no other. As AML chief creative officer Marek Reichman explains.
“The shape of the Lagonda Vision Concept is the result of satisfying a number of different requirements. The need to make a bold design statement, to establish Lagonda as a company of the future, and to show how technological advancement can help liberate design, too. It’s a shape formed by the collision of invisible forces, like those made by magnetic particles in an electrical current. The secret is to understand how to connect that shock and change it to beautiful surfacing.”
Are the world’s super-rich bored? Aston Martin thinks so. Bored and ready for the next big thing. Whatever else the Lagonda "Vision Concept" is, it’s undeniably big – physically and philosophically.
A fully electric super-limo that’s aiming for the "white space" above and beyond even the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lagonda has aspirations to being the world’s first zero emissions luxury brand, to "confound", and to align time-honoured luxury tropes with the new frontiers being pushed variously in Silicon Valley and more importantly Shanghai.
"What is modern luxury? There’s a very traditional point of view in the luxury segment, yet things have changed massively, particularly in the past two or three years," Aston Martin Lagonda’s director of design Miles Nurnberger says. "There’s a much more progressive attitude – the whole world has become more of an early adopter."
You might remember the Lagonda name. It actually pre-dates the Aston Martin brand – an American expat called Wilbur Gunn founded it in 1906 – but it’s had a turbulent life since then, the wonderfully wedgey Seventies iteration arguably the most important milestone. The mothership has decided that trends among the new global super-elite mean that now is the time to dust the badge down. ("It’s a 110-year old start-up," Aston’s vice president Simon Sproule says.)
Crucially, it also allows the company to scope out new territory without muddying the Aston Martin message. So, what happens when you marry the concepts of fully electric propulsion, autonomous driving, and almost unimaginable levels of luxury? A car like no other, and certainly one that looks like no other. As AML chief creative officer Marek Reichman explains.
"The shape of the Lagonda Vision Concept is the result of satisfying a number of different requirements. The need to make a bold design statement, to establish Lagonda as a company of the future, and to show how technological advancement can help liberate design, too. It’s a shape formed by the collision of invisible forces, like those made by magnetic particles in an electrical current. The secret is to understand how to connect that shock and change it to beautiful surfacing."
