Australia's most expensive production car will wear an Aston Martin badge.
The Lagonda Taraf, built by Aston Martin to service mega-wealthy customers, will be available to Australian buyers willing to stump up the expected $1m-plus price tag, contrary to what the company was saying back in March.
Speaking with motoring.com.au, the UK marque's Director of Marketing & Communication Simon Sproule confirmed the availability of the Taraf to Australian buyers.
"The car went on sale in late December 2014, first in the Middle East and then progressively across other global markets. Some cars have already been delivered," Sproule told motoring.com.au.
"Yes, it will be available in right-hand drive and it can be purchased in Australia," he said.
Taraf production will be limited to just 200 units. The XXL sedan is built at Aston Martin's Gaydon (UK) base on a dedicated line upon which Aston previously assembled its limited edition One-77 supercar.
The car is offered via Aston Martin's "VIP sales programme". As such, says Sproule, specifications and precise pricing details remain confidential. The Aston exec was clear, however, that the car would be priced well north of Australia's current production car 'outlier', the $990,000 extended-wheelbase Rolls Royce Phantom.
"It is POA, but will be more than a Phantom," he stated.
Lagonda has been a sub-brand of Aston since it was purchased by David Brown in 1947, the same year he purchased Aston Martin. The last production vehicle to wear the Lagonda name was the strikingly angular Aston Martin Lagonda built by Aston until 1989. In 2009 Aston Martin unveiled a Lagonda concept SUV at the Geneva motor show to mark the centenary of Lagonda's first four-wheeled car in 1909.
Having long struggled with financial viability, Aston Martin has been in the news of late with the appointment of former Nissan-Renault Alliance senior exec Andy Palmer to the position of CEO seen as a fillip for the brand. Sproule was also a senior exec at the Alliance.
The Brit marque's association with part-owner Daimler via Mercedes-AMG has also been seen as a positive move.
The first Aston Martin to leverage electronics and safety systems from Mercedes-AMG will be an all-new generation of sports car due for release in 2016. That vehicle will also debut a version of AMG's 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 specially tuned for Aston Martin.
Thereafter, Sproule says, the Brit brand plans to launch a new model each year, aiming at a six-year renewal cycle-plan. In the medium term, a new bespoke V12 is on the agenda for the marque – it's highly likely this powerplant will be engineered in conjunction with AMG.
On the way to an annual production target of around 10,000 cars per year, production of Aston Martin sports cars will be capped at 7000 units, says Sproule. Models like the new DBX crossover and a very small number of 'bespoke' cars like Taraf will make up the balance, he told motoring.com.au.