The company, optimistically, hopes to sell between 1,500 and 2,000 of four-door models annually.
The CEO of Aston Martin unveiled its four-door car today at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Dr. Ulrich Bez said, “Rapide is the culmination of the Aston Martin range of sports cars, a car that seals the revival of a truly admired marque. There is now an Aston Martin for every taste and for every use.”
First deliveries of the Rapide will begin early in 2010, as the saloon becomes available globally through Aston Martin’s 125 dealerships. The company, optimistically we think, hopes to sell between 1,500 and 2,000 of the four-door models annually. It faces stiff competition from Bentley, long established in the fast four-door segment, and Porsche’s new Panamera. Rapide will be built in Graz, Austria, not in the company’s West Midlands, United Kingdom home.
At Rapide’s heart is a 6-liter V12 engine providing 470 horsepower (477 PS / 350 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 600 Nm (443 lb. ft.) peak torque at 5000 rpm. A six-speed (only six?) Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission is standard. The driver can allow automatic changes or manually intervene via the steering column-mounted magnesium paddles.
First shown in 2006 as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Rapide project received approval from Aston Martin’s new shareholders in mid 2007 following its sale by the Ford Motor Company to a group of private investors. In a little more than two years, Aston Martin’s design and engineering team have delivered a new car from the ground up, the company claims.
Rapide is developed from the ‘V/H Architecture’ platform that is also used in the DBS, DB9 and Vantage models.
“With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, with plenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment,” said Bez. I guess that applies only if a Porsche Cayenne is not in front of it.
The company has been severely challenged by the global Great Recession, and for most of this year, its workforce has been on a three-day workweek. Gaydon is now returning to a five-day schedule.