Aston Martin confirms all-new sportscar platform

After announcing its financial results for 2013, Aston Martin has revealed that it is currently in the process of working on a brand new sportscar platform which will replace its ageing VH platform which was in use for a decade.

In a statement made during the firm’s 2013 annual report, Hanno Kirner, Aston Martin Chief Financial Officer, announced that the automaker will soon undertake the largest investment program in its 101-year history.

“We are engineering a completely new architecture and technologies to ensure that our next generation of sportscars is at the forefront of design, performance and technology.” He further stated that wide-ranging modernisation effort will be implemented over the course of the next several years.

The luxury car brand is partnering with Daimler on electrical components and new V8 engines from the German company’s AMG division. This new platform is expected to underpin all of Aston’s future sportscars, while the AMG V8 engines will be used in the next-generation Vantage only.

Aston Martin says 13 per cent increased revenue and a stronger capital structure is allowing the brand to move forward in developing the new platform. In particular, the brand said demand for the Vanquish Coupe and a positive reception for the Vanquish Volante and V12 Vantage S last fiscal helped increase its revenue.

The company is expected to debut its next DB9 grand tourer in 2016, and that car will probably be the first to be underpinned by the VH platform replacement. Specifics about the brand’s plans are still unclear, but AMG’s 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine looks like a viable candidate to power the car.