Aston Martin will unveil its next-generation grand tourer – an overhauled version of the DB11 that was previously spotted testing on road and track – on 24 May.
It will bring a technological overhaul, with teaser images released by the British firm confirming that the ageing Mercedes-Benz infotainment system from the DB11 has been replaced.
Company chairman Lawrence Stroll confirmed in early 2022 that the Mercedes system was to be discontinued, asking: “How can you have an Aston Martin that sells for £150,000 with three-year-old technology?”
An agreement with Mercedes-Benz meant Aston Martin could only use the German firm’s technology once it had been used in Mercedes models for three years – “a silly thing the previous management agreed to”, according to Stroll.
He confirmed that the new car will get a touchscreen infotainment system, differentiated from Mercedes’ tech by “our own faces, our own voices – a proper English accent”.
The official teaser images also show that the DB11’s silhouette is largely intact, with changes concentrated on the styling at either end.
There is a new headlight design, for example, and more aggressively sculpted bonnet vents.
Prototypes were previously spotted with a lip spoiler at the rear end, but it is unclear whether this has translated to the production car.
The choice between V8 and V12 models is likely to remain, with both subject to substantial revamps. The V12 was recently uprated to 759bhp for the swansong DBS 770 Ultimate, thanks to a 7% bump in turbo pressure and ignition tweaks.