The first SUV from Aston Martin - the DBX - has been teased in a new profile image, as the company confirms production will commence in 2019. 

The announcement was made at a special ceremony launching Phase II of Aston Martin’s redevelopment of MOD St Athan. The site in South Wales will become the British luxury carmaker’s second UK manufacturing plant.

The former military site was formally handed over from the Ministry of Defence to Aston Martin by Secretary of State Sir Michael Fallon at a ceremony including Aston Martin President and CEO Dr. Andy Palmer, and Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns and Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones. With the beginning of these works, Aston Martin St Athan is on target to commence production of the company’s new DBX SUV in 2019.

Dr. Palmer commented: “Due to its sheer size and scale, the St Athan Super Hangars represented an excellent opportunity for us to build our second manufacturing facility, within the envelope of an existing structure. It is perhaps fitting that St Athan is, like our headquarters and sports car factory at Gaydon, a former Royal Air Force base. Now we have commenced Phase II, these hangars will be redeveloped to become the home of our newest manufacturing facility.”

The investment into St Athan is part of Aston Martins wider industrial expansion plans which will see 1,000 new jobs created across its two manufacturing sites by 2020, with a likely further 3,000 across the supply chain and local businesses in Wales.

Phase I commenced in late 2016 when Aston Martin was first given access to part of the site and began to create the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices. Phase II will see the three super hangars redeveloped into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The new plant brings employment opportunities to South Wales; a recruitment event last year attracted 3,000 applications and already the first technicians are working on the DB11 at Gaydon, training for the roles they will take up at St Athan.