Aston Martin DB11 Unveiled in Hong Kong
Imagine that you walk into a lavish hotel in Hong Kong. There sits a work of art under a silk sheet. Slowly the cover is removed and you see it, the 2017 DB11 Aston Martin, glimmering in all its glory. They lift the hood and you can witness the beautifully crafted 5.2L four cam, twin turbo V12. If you were able to look deeper into the car you would see that the engine is compatible with cylinder deactivation and star-stop technologies. All this muscle is driven by a ZF 8AT with selectable drive modes.
On May 19th 2016 MF Jebsen, Aston Martin Dealer in Hong Kong, made this a reality during a cocktail gala at The Upper house Hotel. While some may think that the Hong Kong unveiling was a bit premature it seemed to fit the new world model. Usually Hong Kong does not get to see new models until about 6-8 months after production release. Guess they wanted to spice things up a little in 2016.
The DB11 has also made an appearance at the Geneva Auto Show in March, the Beijing Motor Show in April, Taiwan, Singapore and of course now Hong Kong in May. The DB11 stayed at the service and maintenance department at this dealer for a short stint to get some final check-ups before heading off to its next party in Malaysia. The previous model, DB9 (2004-2016) with its last variant being the GT Bond Edition, made its final debut in fall of 2015.
After the signing of technological partnerships with Daimler in 2013, they added the Mercedes-AMG electrical system to the DB11. The DB11 will be part of Aston’s “Second Century” plan and will feature Daimler’s center stack arrangement with the top fixed center command display (of course with Aston-specific menu GUI configuration) and command rotary controller/touchpad bundle. Infotainment systems including: improved satellite, navigation and other telemetry, surround camera system, and park assist system. There’s also unique digitalization instead of the previous analogue design, consisting of a properly-shaped 12.1-inch screen area divided into three different sections.
The DB11 is currently under a multitude of test-driving sessions all over the world, specifically overseas. It is unknown to the media of the automotive world as to when they will be summoned to any overseas sneak peeks of the vehicle before the end-of-year delivery period. At least forty orders will be fulfilled in Japan by then.
Rumor has it that Mercedes will supply their 4L twin turbo V8 in future Aston models and variations. To wet sump (M177) lube version or to dry-sump (M178) lube version, that is the only question! Of course you can expect it to exceed the current 510-hp when you carefully place it into an Aston Martin.
“Since its foundation in 1913 Aston Martin has combined three important elements in every single car: Power, Beauty and Soul.”
The DB11 will reach US showrooms by end of the year and has an MSRP of around $215,000.
