What's this then?

Alongside Bentley's EXP 10 Speed 6 this must surely count as one of the biggest surprises of the Geneva Motor Show - it's the Aston Martin DBX concept. Previewing the company's first ever production SUV (a lucrative market segment that Aston has seriously missed out on so far) the DBX is all-electric and powered by a stack of lithium ion batteries, although Aston hasn't quoted any performance or range figures for it yet. It also gets a super-luxurious interior covered in Nubuck leather with gold highlighting for the exposed metal parts.

It's also a technological showcase for Aston, fitted with drive-by-wire steering, heads-up displays and brake energy recovery systems.

Will it make production?

Almost certainly, albeit not quite in the form you see here. A production version will likely have four doors and use a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG, which now owns five per cent of Aston Martin. Could an electric version really be on the cards too? Well, Aston has to have a go at a zero emissions vehicle eventually, if it's to survive.

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."