For a while, we all believed Aston Martin's first ever SUV model would be called the DBX. The UK brand later trademarked the name Varekai, which should be the actual name of the company's first SUV. A purely electric Lagonda SUV is also planned but the Varekai should adopt the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 from Mercedes-AMG, which is also used in the DB11 and Vantage to produce just over 500 horsepower - a 700 hp hybrid version is also rumored.
So far, the Varekai sounds like a recipe for success. As we've seen with models like the Jaguar F-Pace, a brand's first SUV can have a major impact on sales. According to Automotive News, Aston Martin already predicts that its first SUV will outsell all of its other models.
This prediction doesn't come as too much of a surprise considering Aston Martin's low volume and the current success of SUVs. At a meeting to discuss the company's potential initial public offering (IPO), Aston predicted it would sell 3,850 SUVs per year, which would eclipse the 3,250 unit prediction for the Vantage. If anything, we think this projection may be a bit conservative.
Lamborghini expects its Urus SUV to account for nearly half of its total sales by the end of 2019 but only plans to sell around 1,000 units in the first year. Perhaps Aston is simply predicting a conservative number for the SUV's first sales year, but we could easily see it matching the sales of the DB11, Vantage, and DBS Superleggera combined after a year or so.
Aston said its first SUV should help it reach new customers, including female buyers. The added demand for an SUV should also aid with the company's plans to increase from 160 to 200 dealers, including six more in North and South America. The Varekai is expected to enter production in 2020 and should go on sale shortly after. This is expected to be a huge seller for Aston Martin, one that will push sales over 10,000 units per year by 2021.
