Next Aston Martin DB model debuts on May 24 Techzle.com

Launched in 2016, the Aston Martin DB11 is the oldest entry in the current range, an icon of a former regime that the carmaker’s new leadership wants to reshuffle, if not scrap altogether. The car’s replacement will debut on May 24 and Aston Martin teased the arrival with the assessment: “This isn’t just any GT. Grand isn’t enough.” The exterior images confirm that the coupe we expect to be called DB12 won’t be an all-new offering; these are DB11 bones with more muscle, better reflexes, improved technology. At the front, the clamshell hood is gone, replaced by a traditional panel between the fenders. It looks like there’s a bigger grille with the signature five horizontal slats. These appear to be the same headlight housings, but each contains a triple of bulbs and a new DRL signature.

The side view gives away beautiful bronze wheels that are perhaps 21 inches, an inch larger than the standard rims on the DB11. Behind them, one of the two big changes to the new car will be the suspension. We don’t know what that means, we’re told “class-leading performance” and “precise driving dynamics”. That dynamic should be powered by the 5.2-liter V12 and Mercedes-AMG’s 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that we know.

The second major change comes in, preceded by the center console image. The waterfall console that has been tweaked and fiddled with since its debut in the 2001 Vanquish is finally getting a sequel. A tilted lower section contains a widescreen infotainment display, a touchscreen, above a series of knobs and buttons. Icons on the left side of the display indicate that all the usual infotainment functions are contained here, so this could be the only screen on the instrument panel; a digital gauge cluster would place information in the driver’s field of view. Or who knows, there is another television for the passenger. An infotainment skin specific to Aston Martin will run on top of Mercedes-Benz’s latest MBUX software, the new tidbits including a voice with a real English accent.

Below that is a dial with an engine start button in front of a lever-style gear lever – no more push buttons. The HVAC system gets special buttons and rollers, another roller serves as volume control. We also see a power icon, which we hope is for the screen; car interiors are now lit like Johnson Space Control, the more lights we can turn off in the cabin the better.

Aston Martin’s revival kicked off this year, the carmaker’s 110th anniversary. Not only is the potential DB12 the first sign of the new Aston to come, CEO Lawrence Stroll believes the upgraded range of GT cars will be good enough to kill another symbol of the former regime. He recently said: “We’ve created a new sector, something superior to a GT”, eliminating the need for the mid-engined Vanquish, which was previewed four years ago in concept form. Too bad for the enthusiast, because the Vanquish was meant to pack Valkyrie and Valhalla vibes into a more affordable – that’s a relative term – package, one with a manual transmission. The Valhalla will carry the mid-engined torch, released in several variants up to a total production of 999 cars. The refreshed DBS and Vantage will lift the front-engine tide when they are introduced next year.