Aston Martin has made a significant and symbolic stride towards the luxury brand’s first SUV, which has now been confirmed officially as being badged DBX. The first development prototype has been put through its paces along a demanding Welsh Rally stage, in the capable hands of the company’s Chief Engineer and former Lotus Cars test driver, Matt Becker.

As the first test for DBX signifies the start of an extensive testing programme, it has commenced in Wales, as a nod towards Aston Martins’ new St Athan production facility, in the Vale of Glamorgan. Just over a year since the first sod was turned at the former RAF base, the plant is nearing completion for the company and its local employees, which introduces a raft of investment in this important part of the UK.

While computer simulation is an essential part of DBX’s early development phase, the first prototype drive in Wales signifies the start of ‘real world’ testing, in which the SUV will be subjected to a punishing regime that will see ultimately development prototypes of the all-new machine tackle some of the world’s harshest environments, from the frozen Arctic and scorching deserts of the Middle East, to high Alpine passes and the high-speed demands of the German autobahns and the inevitable Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Thanks to the unique nature of DBX in the Aston Martin range, it requires a dedicated test programme; one that features new processes, procedures and standards that reflect its all-purpose, ‘go-anywhere’ role. So, while it is intended to perform with the verve and poise of a true Aston Martin, its dynamic envelope has to extend into areas previously off-limits to the marque’s sporting roots. Naturally this includes impressive multi-terrain and towing capabilities, as befits a state-of-the-art SUV that is entering a highly competitive world market.

Speaking of his drive in the DBX development prototype, Chief Engineer, Matt Becker, said: “We have already developed and tuned the DBX in the driving simulator, which has enabled us to make excellent progress in advance of the first physical prototype cars being hand-assembled. It is always a big day, when we get to put the first actual miles on an early prototype and I am delighted with the near perfect correlation between the simulator and our prototype. As an engineer, it’s genuinely exciting to get a feel for the car you’re working to create. DBX is a very different kind of Aston Martin but we shall be testing it in all conditions, across all terrains, to ensure that it delivers a driving experience worthy of its charismatic badge.”

DBX is scheduled to be unveiled in the last quarter of 2019 and will be built at Aston Martin Lagonda’s St Athan facility. A state-of-the-art luxury manufacturing plant, it will become eventually the ‘Home of Electrification’ for the brand, when the marque’s fully-EV models enter production. To grab a market advantage, you can take it for granted that hybrid technology will be evident in the new car.

Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, Andy Palmer, stated: “Seeing a DBX development prototype in action is a momentous chapter in the rolling story of our first SUV, as it is the moment a new product really comes alive. DBX is so much more than ‘just’ an SUV; it will be the first model built at our brand-new facility in South Wales. This is very much the start of a bold new era in the company’s long history.”