Aston Martin has no plans to revive Lagonda as a standalone logo for ultra-luxury sedans and SUVs.
In an interview with Autocar published on Wednesday, Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said the concept of reviving Lagonda was “completely dead” and that Aston Martin would continue to focus on sports cars and their SUVs, especially as the company begins to roll out electric vehicles. .
Stroll said Lagonda is not mandatory because Aston Martin’s transaction costs are already catching up with those of Bentley and Rolls-Royce thanks to more attractive models and greater customization options.
The previous plan to revive Lagonda was conceived when Andy Palmer, its executive director. The Lagonda brand’s Vision sedan and off-road SUV concepts were launched in 2018 and 2019, respectively, with production shown soon after. The cars had a penchant for high-tech and were meant to appeal to wealthy Silicon Valley types who were lining up to buy Teslas because of the generation on offer. Palmer was replaced after the pandemic and there is no longer any message about a Lagonda resurgence.
Lagonda off-road concept
Lagonda is a historic British logo older than Aston Martin. The company began life as a sports car manufacturer but not so exciting, but things changed in the 1930s when W. O. Bentley joined its ranks. It was around this time that Lagonda produced some truly sumptuous machines such as the LG6 and V12 models.
During World War II, Lagonda contributed to the army effort, and in 1947 the logo passed into the hands of David Brown, who also bought Aston Martin that year. By the 1960s, Lagonda had been all but forgotten, however, in 1961, Aston Martin introduced a sedan founded on the DB4 and called it the Lagonda Rapide. A handful of other Lagonda sedans arrived, adding the standout styling designed by William Towns and introduced in 1976.
There was an attempt to revive it in 2009, but that plan was also unsuccessful. However, only one Lagonda model was introduced in 2014. Se was based on Aston Martin’s most recent Rapide sedan and was called the Lagonda Taraf.