Aston Martin’s first SUV rolls off the production line

Aston Martin’s first sport utility vehicle (SUV) rolled off the production line on Thursday, with the hopes of a turnaround at the luxury automaker which has seen changes in management and ownership over the last few months due to coronavirus crisis.

Popular for being James Bond’s automaker of choice, the company has had a difficult time since it floated in 2018 as sales disappointed and it burnt through cash, prompting it to seek new investment from billionaire Lawrence Stroll.

Since then it has announced job cuts, replacing its boss, and has picked a new finance chief among a range of changes as it also deals with the coronavirus crisis.

The DBX vehicle is the company’s first foray into the lucrative SUV market, a late entrant compared to many competitors such as Volkswagen-owned Bentley and BMW’s Rolls-Royce.

“The DBX has become the car that will drive Aston Martin into a bold new era,” stated Aston’s Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman.

Deliveries of the model will begin later this month.

Work at the company’s new St Athan factory located in Wales, where the model is being built, had to halt in March as coronavirus led lockdown saw the economy grind to a halt.

Output resumed in May with safety measures in place but the automaker has yet to set a restart date for its English factory in Gaydon, where sports cars are constructed.