What's all this about?
Aston Martin is teasing us. With the DB11 now seven years old and beginning to feel its age, the British company has confirmed a replacement grand tourer will be revealed later this month. But instead of giving us any details at all, Aston just sent some shadowy teaser images for us to inspect.
So these are the first images of the new DB12?
Errr… Not necessarily. Yes, this is the successor to the DB11, but Aston Martin is yet to confirm the DB12 name. Nevertheless, we are expecting the car to be called DB12, and even if the British brand picks out some weird name from a hat, we suspect plenty of enthusiasts would call it the DB12 anyway.
It looks... DB11-ish...
Yes, it does a bit. Designers might say the new car – let’s call it the DB12 for the sake of argument – is clearly linked to its predecessor, the DB11, but we’d say it looks remarkably similar. In fact, we had to check Aston’s wording to make sure they described this as a “new generation”, rather than just a facelift.
But the brand is indeed calling it a next-generation sports car, even though the headlights haven’t changed much, and nor has the air vent behind the front wheels. Maybe there’s something a bit more Vantage-ish about the roofline, and perhaps there’s something of the Vanquish S about the rear, but you’re never going to mistake this for anything other than an Aston Martin grand tourer.
That interior looks like an improvement, though...
It’s probably fair to say the cabin was the DB11’s weak spot, and it looks as though the DB12 will change all that. Again, the images we have don’t show all that much, but there’s clearly a new centre console with new switchgear and a new touchscreen down below the air vents. We can’t tell all that much about quality or software, but it seems the new systems will all be a step forward compared with the existing technology.
What do we know about the engine?
Not a lot, really. Aston Martin’s press release ran to a total of 161 words, so the company hasn’t really said very much about the technical specifications. However, the brand has promised the car will be “characterised by prodigious performance and pinpoint driving dynamics, seamless integration of advanced technologies and the sublime style and impeccable craftsmanship for which the brand has long been renowned.” Nope, it doesn’t mean much to us either, so here’s what we’re expecting…
Power will likely come from the 4.0-litre Mercedes-AMG V8 engine that currently occupies the nose of the DB11, albeit with some updates. In the Mercedes SL, that motor is currently churning out more than 580hp, so expect similar performance from the Aston Martin.
Whether that engine will be joined by a V12 option remains to be seen, although we wouldn’t put it past Aston – a company that seems wedded to the idea of the big, smooth powerplant. However, it’s likely that any V12 version of the DB12 will end up being a special or performance edition of the standard V8 car, rather than a mainstream choice.
Sounds good. When will we know more?
Aston Martin has confirmed the car will be revealed properly on May 24, after which we should know pretty much all the details. Until then, there’s going to be a fair amount of speculation.
James Fossdyke - 16 May 2023