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Aston Martin VH platform

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Front three-quarters view of a silver coupe
The DB9 was the first car to use the VH platform.

The British carmaker Aston Martin developed the vertical–horizontal (VH) vehicle platform to serve as the basis of most of the mass-produced vehicles in its lineup manufactured between 2003 and 2016,[note 1] comprising the DB9, followed by the Vantage, DBS, Rapide and Vanquish. The limited-production Virage, DB10 and Lagonda Taraf also used this platform.

Ulrich Bez was appointed chief executive officer and chairman of Aston Martin in July 2000.[2] At that time, the company had made significant investments in the V12 Vanquish's structural platform and determined that developing a separate platform for a single model would not be a prudent use of resources. In 2001, Bez initiated the development of a new versatile architecture intended to accompany automobiles of various sizes; most of the developments were done within that year.[3] Aston Martin implemented modifications to enhance assembly efficiency, aiming for thirty minutes per unit, compared to the four hours required for the V12 Vanquish.[4] The VH platform was developed to be flexible.[5] Every vehicle that uses it incorporates bonded and riveted aluminium to reduce weight.[6] The term "vertical" indicates that the platform can accommodate various applications and can be adjusted in size to meet the requirements of future models. The term "horizontal" signifies that components of the platform can be used across different models within the Aston Martin lineup.[7]

The first vehicle to use the VH platform was the DB9, which constituted the platform's first generation. The Vantage, introduced in 2005, used the second generation of the platform, along with the DBS and DB10, introduced in 2007 and 2014, respectively. The third generation of the platform was used by the Virage in 2011, the 2012 facelift of the DB9 and the 2012 Vanquish. The Rapide and Lagonda Taraf used the fourth generation, an extended version of the platform.[8][9] The cars have since been discontinued. The Virage and DBS both ended production in 2012,[10][11] followed by the DB10 in 2015.[12] The DB9 and Taraf were discontinued in 2016,[13] [14] while the Vantage and Vanquish ended production in 2018.[15][16] Production of the Rapide ended in 2020.[17]

Vehicles

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Mass produced vehicles
Body style Model Refs.
Name Image Introduction
(year) 		Discontinuation
(year) 		Generation
Grand tourer DB9 Front three-quarters view of a silver coupe 2004 2016 First (2012 facelift used third) [18][19][20]
Sports car Vantage Front three-quarters view of a brown coupe 2005 2018 Second [21][22]
Grand tourer DBS Front three-quarters view of a silver coupe 2007 2012 Second [23][24]
Executive car Rapide Front three-quarters view of a silver saloon 2010 2020 Fourth [17][25][26]
Grand tourer Vanquish Front three-quarters view of a dark gray coupe 2012 2018 Third [15][27][28]
Limited-production vehicles
Body style Model Refs.
Name Image Introduction
(year) 		Discontinuation
(year) 		Generation
Grand tourer Virage Front three-quarters view of a silver coupe 2011 2012 Third [29][30][31]
Grand tourer DB10 Front three-quarters view of a silver coupe 2014 2015 Second [12][32]
Full-size luxury car Lagonda Taraf Front three-quarters view of a gold saloon on a race track 2015 2016 Fourth [33][9]

Notes

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  1. ^ This excludes the V12 Vanquish and DB11, the latter of which was manufactured from September 2016 and used an all-new platform[1]

References

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  1. ^ Petrány, Máté (17 May 2018). "Why Aston Martin Replaced the DB11 V12 With the Hotter AMR After Twenty Months". Road & Track. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  2. ^ Taylor 2024, p. 202.
  3. ^ Taylor 2024, p. 206.
  4. ^ Taylor 2024, p. 207.
  5. ^ Robinson, Peter (1 June 2004). "2005 Aston Martin DB9 GT". Car and Driver. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  6. ^ Towler, Adam (11 June 2020). "The first and last Aston Martin Vanquish models go head-to-head". Evo. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  7. ^ Taylor 2024, pp. 207–208.
  8. ^ Taylor 2024, p. 210.
  9. ^ a b MacKenzie, Angus (18 February 2016). "2016 Lagonda Taraf: The $1 Million Hand-Built Aston Martin Sedan". Motor Trend. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Aston Martin DBS (2007". RAC Limited. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  11. ^ Stoklosa, Alexander (5 September 2012). "Aston Martin Dropping Virage from Lineup, Repositioning DB9 in its Wake". Car and Driver. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Frankel, Andrew (3 January 2016). "Aston Martin DB10 2014-2015 review". Autocar. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  13. ^ Siler, Steve (19 January 2016). "2016 Aston Martin DB9 GT First Drive". Car and Driver. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  14. ^ Mistry, Hemal (12 February 2016). "Autocar's top five new car reviews". Autocar. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sorokanich, Bob (25 October 2018). "Someone Bought the Plans and Tooling for the Aston Martin Vanquish". Road & Track. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  16. ^ Pattni, Vijay (1 December 2021). "The Aston Martin V12 Vantage will return in 2022!". Top Gear. BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  17. ^ a b Alaniz, Anthony (19 June 2023). "Aston Martin Rapide Comeback Ruled Out Because Sedans Don't Sell". Motor1. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  18. ^ Loveys 2015, p. 2001.
  19. ^ Abidin, Shafiq (15 August 2024). "The Aston Martin DB9 is 20 years old: here's a used one we found for £12k". Top Gear. BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  20. ^ Perkins, Chris (25 July 2016). "Aston Martin DB9, The Long-Lived Savior of the Brand, Ends Production". Road & Track. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Aston Martin Vantage Review 2024". Top Gear. BBC. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  22. ^ Huntingford, Steve (13 March 2018). "Used Aston Martin Vantage Roadster 2005-2018 review". What Car?. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Aston Martin DBS (2007-2012) review". Auto Express. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  24. ^ Droppa, Denis (29 May 2008). "The DBS's in touch with its dark side". The Mercury. p. 10.
  25. ^ Peterson, Andrew (7 May 2010). "Aston Martin Begins Deliveries of 2010 Rapide". Motor Trend. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Aston Martin Rapide". Auto Express. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  27. ^ Pollard, Tim (20 June 2012). "Aston Martin Vanquish (2012) first official pictures". Car. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  28. ^ Ashraf, Yousef (October 2023). "Best buys: grand tourer". Evo. No. 314. pp. 122–127. ISSN 1464-2786.
  29. ^ DeLorenzo, Matt (2 March 2011). "2012 Aston Martin Virage at 2011 Geneva Auto Show". Road & Track. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  30. ^ Hogan, Mack (6 June 2018). "You've Already Forgotten About The Aston Martin Virage". Jalopnik. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  31. ^ "2012 Virage and Virage Volante", The Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, 19 March 2011, p. 120, retrieved 9 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com Free access icon
  32. ^ Berk, Brett (30 September 2015). "Test-Driving James Bond's Snazzy New Aston Martin". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  33. ^ Duff, Mike (4 February 2016). "Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf 2015-2016 review". Autocar. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

Bibliography

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