What's all this about?
This dramatic-looking thing takes its inspiration from super-yachts and yet is futuristic enough that its manufacturer claims it would look as comfortable 'roaming the surface of Mars as a mountain in Scotland.' And it's the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept, the all-electric SUV that was teased in the run-up to the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, which is where the covers have finally come off this pioneering machine.
It looks striking. What do we know about it?
Very little beyond the visual. Aston Martin Lagonda says the All-Terrain Concept has an 'advanced battery-electric drivetrain' and has confirmed it will be built at the St Athan facility in Wales, which it is dubbing its 'Home of Electrification', from 2022 onwards. Of course, the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept won't be the first vehicle built west of Offa's Dyke, as that signal honour will fall to the more conventionally powered DBX SUV.
Talk me through the design of the All-Terrain Concept.
With its battery packs mounted in the floor of the vehicle, the stiffness of the structure has allowed Aston Martin Lagonda's designers to fit rear-hinged doors and bits of the roof that open to the All-Terrain Concept, meaning it has the full sense of street theatre as the well-heeled, forward-thinking occupants get in and out of it. Light floods the cabin, thanks to a glasshouse that takes in most of the roof, but the actual colour schemes used in the All-Terrain Concept are darker and more 'nocturnal' than there were in the Lagonda Vision Concept, which hinted at its appearance. And, while the All-Terrain Concept retains the Vision Concept's 'rotating front chairs' function - which means all four passengers can sit facing one another when the All-Terrain Concept is in full autonomous mode - Aston reckons Lagonda customers will be driving their EV SUV more than they will be being driven by it, so the emphasis is not so much on rear-seat comfort in this latest zero-emissions concept.
What technology does it have?
How about a levitating car key?
You're kidding, right?
We're not. Deliberately hiding much of the technology that the All-Terrain Concept possesses, meaning there are few air vents, grilles or speakers on show, Aston Martin Lagonda wanted to give the lucky owners of the All-Terrain Concept something to talk about. And the company reckons that the key is an 'important part of contact between the driver and the vehicle', so it needed some showmanship. Thus, when it is put in place between the front seats, electromagnets make it levitate and hover in mid-air while the car is running.
Amazing! Anyway, what's going on at the back of the Lagonda?
Some very neat tricks. Like the LED light strip. Oh, there are LEDs there, all right, but they're hidden from view from onlookers. Instead, the light they put out is beamed downwards and then reflected out, giving a super-clean, futuristic look to the light. That pointy rump is a full clamshell hatch and, in the floor, there's a hidden shelf that sits flush to the bodywork and which only slides out when the occupants wish to drink in the scenery surrounding the All-Terrain Concept. Which might well be the surface of Mars, if Lagonda gets its way... but we digress.
Any words from the Aston Martin Lagonda top brass?
Certainly. Let's kick off with Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group chief executive officer, who said: "The Lagonda All-Terrain Concept adds a hugely exciting sense of adventure to the unique brand of luxury, emission-free vehicles that Lagonda is planning to produce. This is a car that would be at home whisking someone straight from a glamorous red-carpet event to a remote scientific research lab. It shows the bold possibilities for Lagonda and demonstrates how the company will push to expand horizons in every area, whether it be technology, design or scope of travel."
Anyone else got anything to add?
Marek Reichman, the EVP and chief creative officer of Aston Martin, added: "We imagined that the owner would be a sort of pioneering yet environmentally conscious person. They may well have a luxury villa in a remote place that acts as their sanctuary. As such, the Lagonda brand is unconstrained by the traditional values of current luxury products; it is not about wood and leather, we tried to design the interior to feel very calm and quiet with soft, natural materials like cashmere. Lagonda reflects a future that is full of unique materials that are not set in the past. We wanted the technology in the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept to bring a sense of personality to the vehicle. Just as with the materials and the exterior design, the technology should be warm and involving rather than cold and impersonal. This is the future and it should be something that people are inspired and delighted by, rather than perplexed and frightened by."
Matt Robinson - 5 Mar 2019
