All-new Aston Martin V8 Vantage this year

Aston Martin is firing on all cylinders, and its new entry-level sports car is revving up for a big launch later this year.

Already on the exclusive British sports car maker's launch list is the upcoming Valkyrie hypercar, Aston's new high-performance AMR brand, its first crossover in the DBX and an all-new family of mid-engine sports cars.

But Aston's next big launch will take place late in 2017 -- around November -- when the new-generation V8 Vantage is unleashed, and company boss Dr Andy Palmer said the Porsche 911 rival will debut a "revolutionary" new design.

The Gaydon-based car-maker has copped plenty of flak for its 'same-same' designs in the past. To the every-man, a DB9 or V8 Vantage looks pretty similar to a Vanquish or a Rapide at 50 paces.

But not anymore, says Palmer.

"It's more revolutionary," Palmer said of the Vantage's design. "To give you a hint, take a DB10, mate it with a Vulcan. Then you start to get somewhere close to how it will look."

When the first of the company's new-generation vehicles launched in 2016, the DB11 emerged as an evolutionary take on the classic Aston design, but the Vantage will be even more divergent, says Palmer.

"When you see it you'll understand why we're doing this. It's spectacular," he said.

Due to enter production very early in 2018, shortly after being previewed late this year at a bespoke event to "start building the order bank", the new Vantage will be offered with manual and automatic gearboxes and powered by Mercedes-AMG's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

The current Vantage runs a 4.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 that pumps out 321kW/490Nm for a claimed 4.5-second 0-100km/h sprint.

The new engine should be good for at least 360kW and 600Nm, considering the Mercedes-AMG GT S generates 375kW/650Nm.

The current V8 Vantage (pictured) is priced from between $195,000 and $300,000 in Australia, its replacement could see an uptick in price with its boosted performance, but the new design aims to attract new and return customers, says Palmer.

"One of the clear briefs I gave to Marek [Reichman, chief designer] coming in, is that my now 79-year-old mother needs to be able to tell the difference between a Vantage and DB11."

Have you tried the test on your mum? "No I haven't actually, but you get the point," laughed Palmer.

"Historically our cars have been quite close to each other in design. They're sports cars so they have a certain similarity to them but those two cars, DB11 and Vantage, are clearly separated now.

"The Vantage is the two-seater, it's your weekend car, whereas your DB11 is your GT, your Grand Tourer. And Vanquish will also be pushed away to be a super GT. It's GT-esque but with a lot more power," grinned the Aston boss.

The new Vantage will also spawn high-performance AMR versions down the track and an all-important race car could potentially arrive in 2018 as well, giving GT3, GTE and GT4 race teams something to salivate over.

And while the automotive world goes crazy for automatic transmissions, Palmer says the Vantage will remain a car for the purist.

"We will always offer a manual. It's one of my manifesto statements," he stated.

Stay tuned for more details on the Vulcan-inspired Aston Martin V8 Vantage throughout the year, as the company begins a drip-feed promotional campaign of images and stats.