First look Aston Martin Lagonda SUV

Aston Martin believes the days of outrageous ultra-luxury limousines is coming to an end and is putting its faith and future in an upscale SUV that breaks the mold for the British brand.

It unveiled the Lagonda Concept at the Geneva Motor Show after an earlier tease on the comeback of the Lagonda name, which has been used for Aston flagships since 1947.

The new SUV is a four-seat, four-wheel drive luxury car that Aston says will be used to develop new technologies and materials, including flex-fuel engines, diesel and hybrid powertrains.

"The Lagonda is the luxury car of the future, a combination of total usability, a new form and innovative new technology and materials," says the head of Aston Martin, Dr Ulrich Bez.

Few details about the Lagonda were revealed at Geneva, although Aston is aggressive with its sales targets.

It expects to sell the Lagonda SUV in 100 countries and is predicting solid demand from new luxury buyers in Russia, the Middle East, India and China, as well as the USA, Europe and Asia.

Despite the SUV styling, Bez promises the Lagonda will be a sporty drive and loaded with luxury. And he looks to be taking a Lexus-style approach to customer service.

"An Aston Martin is an authentic, pure sports car, but Lagonda is something else, a new brand that will reach into new markets. Lagonda will create a new kind of customer relationship, instilling the spirit of travel, adventure and style into a single, formidable package," Bez says.

There is no news yet on the engine for the Lagonda, but its position points to the V12 used in the upscale versions of other Aston models.

"Lagonda will epitomise the intersection of craft, design and technology with Aston Martin's established high performance expertise," says Bez.

The last Lagonda before the new show car was a boxy, ugly car built between 1976 and 1989. But it had some advanced technology including a digital dashboard and computerised engine management control.

Only 645 were built, although Bob Jane had one in Australia.

The Lagonda name goes back to 1906, and the first Lagonda was the Torpedo of 1907. it became part of Aston Martin in 1947 and the lagonda name was reserved for the most luxurious of the company's cars.

"An Aston Martin demands to be driven. A Lagonda demands a destination," says Bez.