Live and let die: Aston Martin rules out a return to the sedan segment

Aston Martin’s last sedan, the Rapide, retired in 2020. We haven’t seen or heard of a successor since, and that’s because it’s not coming. While the British company has numerous new models in the pipeline, it confirmed that a high-performance luxury sedan isn’t one of them.

“Definitely no sedan,” said Alex Long, the company’s head of product and market strategy, in an interview with Australian site Car Sales. The publication added that it learned from unnamed insider sources that the business case for a Rapide successor simply doesn’t add up, and that Aston Martin can thrive in the 2020s without returning to the sedan segment. That’s fantastic news for Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

Aston Martin’s heritage is rooted in two-door GT models, but the brand has dabbled in the sedan segment on and off for decades. Sub-brand Lagonda sold a limited-edition, ultra-high-end sedan called Taraf alongside the Rapide from 2015 to 2018; about 200 units were built. The long-wheelbase four-door borrowed a handful of styling cues from the distinctive, William Towns-designed Lagonda sedan built from 1976 to 1990. This lineage remained in the product roadmap as recently as 2015, when ex-CEO Andy Palmer announced a Lagonda-badged sedan.

That means the DBX, which is available in two flavors, will stand proud as Aston Martin’s only four-door car in the foreseeable future. As for the rest of the range, the models that will see the light that awaits at the end of a production line in the coming years will all put a big focus on performance. Deliveries of the new DB12 will start in the not-too-distant future. Next is a replacement for the Vantage, and it will later be joined in showrooms by a replacement for the DBS. Finally, the Valhalla should land in 2024 with a mid-mounted engine to tackle Ferrari.

If you’re wondering what a successor to the Rapide might have looked like, check out the Lagonda Vision concept introduced at the 2018 Geneva auto show. The design study was characterized by a striking, futuristic-looking design and a lounge-like interior with swiveling seats.