The next generation of Astons will be styled at the company’s new design studio, due to open on 11 December 2007. A product announcement is expected on the same day; the company is likely to confirm new partnerships for merchandising and it’s expected to announce tweaks to an existing model range, too.
Dr Bez cancelled the original blueprint for the new design centre at Gaydon, which he described as too derivative. He then met an architect with an interest in sustainable eco-design, and commissioned him to draw up fresh plans for the new site.
It will use natural materials imported from Austria, and is understood to be made largely from glass and wood for a light, airy atmosphere for Aston Martin’s design team led by director Marek Reichman.
The whole design centre project took just six months, Dr Bez told CAR Online. ‘This would not have been possible under Ford, ’ he said. ‘We are now able to move much more quickly. It’s like the speed at which we said yes to the Rapide. ’
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