Lagonda

Brand Overview

Lagonda is a super-luxury car brand originating from the UK, founded by Wilbur Gunn in Middlesex, England, in 1906. The brand name derives from a small river near Springfield, Ohio, USA, which was in the founder's hometown. The brand has a history of over a century, older than most modern car brands. Lagonda is known for producing premium cars, with early representative models including the Torpedo launched in 1907, which was exported to the Russian market in large quantities.

After experiencing setbacks during World War I, World War II, and multiple corporate mergers, Lagonda was acquired by Aston Martin, which was under the umbrella of David Brown, in 1947. Since then, it has long existed as the name of Aston Martin models. In 2008, the brand announced its revival, positioning itself as a top-tier luxury car competing with Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Currently, Lagonda belongs to Aston Martin Lagonda Company and is promoting a comprehensive brand resurgence with "Pure Electric + Autonomous Driving" as its direction.

Development History

Early Founding and WWI Turmoil (1906—1919) 

Before building cars, brand founder Wilbur Gunn was skilled in researching motorcycles, having handcrafted a small motorcycle at home and successfully completed a long-distance test in 1905. In 1907, he manufactured the brand's first car in history—the Lagonda Torpedo, a six-cylinder engine car with only 20 horsepower.In 1910, Wilbur Gunn successfully completed a long-distance test in Torpedo from Moscow to St. Petersburg, subsequently receiving a large number of orders from wealthy Russians. Between 1910 and 1914, Lagonda cars were sold to the Russian market for a long period.During World War I, the company switched to producing artillery shells, and brand development almost stagnated.

Car Iterations and Ownership Change in the First Half of the 20th Century (1920—1946) 

In 1920, founder Wilbur Gunn passed away, and Colin Parbury took over company management. Before the war, the "11.1" model was upgraded to "11.9" (1400CC displacement, electric lighting system) in 1923, and further upgraded to "12" in 1926.Thereafter, the brand launched its first true sports car, the "14/60", equipped with a dual camshaft 1954CC four-cylinder engine, adopting a hemispherical combustion chamber design for the first time. In 1927, a "Speed" model with 2L displacement was launched, and a supercharged version was launched in 1930. In 1934, the small sports car Rapier was launched, equipped with a 1104CC displacement engine and pre-selector gearbox.In 1935, the brand was acquired by Alan Good.

Aston Martin Era and Brand Slumber (1947—2007)

After World War II, the British economy suffered a depression, and Lagonda was officially merged into Aston Martin in 1947, and renamed Aston Martin Lagonda. Between 1947 and 1976, seven four-door sedans were manufactured based on the Aston Martin V8 platform. The most watched model was born in 1976, created by designer William Towns, with a price of up to 50,000 pounds at the time. Its low wedge profile (height only 1302 mm, length 5281 mm) was very futuristic at the time, equipped with a 5340CC V8 engine and TorqueFlite automatic transmission.Delivered in 1979, but the manual production method meant assembly time for each car reached 2200 hours, and only 645 units were produced between 1979 and 1989.The last Lagonda rolled off the production line in 1989, and the series was announced to be discontinued by Aston Martin.In the 1990s, after the Ford Group took full control, Lagonda disappeared completely from the product line, existing only as a name.

Brand Revival and Modern Renaissance (2008 to Present) 

In 2008, the brand announced its revival.In the Aston Martin Centennial celebration in 2013, Lagonda's mass production news was officially confirmed. In November 2014, Lagonda debuted as "Taraf" in Dubai, "Taraf" means "Ultimate Luxury" in Arabic. In 2015 Shanghai Auto Show, Taraf sales started in China, with a starting price of 8.10 million RMB. Starting from 2018, the brand released pure electric concept cars such as Lagonda Vision Concept and All-Terrain Concept, officially entering the path of electrification transformation. In 2022, Geely Holdings completed the acquisition of 7.60% stake in Aston Martin, and increased holdings to 17% in 2023, providing capital support for the further resurgence of Lagonda.

Brand Matrix / Product Line

Lagonda's product line is characterized by "extremely low production volume, top-tier handcrafted customization". Modern models have not yet formed a scaled matrix. Currently, the brand mainly includes the following products:

Taraf (2014—2019) 

The core model of Lagonda's modern resurgence. It was originally planned to be limited to 200 units globally, but only about 120 units were actually produced.Taraf was built based on Aston Martin's extremely flexible VH architecture, paying tribute to the classic brushstrokes of original designer William Towns in 1976, blending retro and future design languages.The body uses a full aluminum body frame structure and large-area carbon fiber body panels, equipped with a 6.0-liter V12 naturally aspirated engine, maximum power output of about 558 hp, peak torque of about 630 N·m, 0-100 km/h acceleration of only 4.9 seconds, and a top speed of 281 km/h.China's global stock is estimated to be less than 10 units.

Lagonda Vision Concept (Released in 2018) 

A concept sedan that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, it is a forward-looking work of the brand's pure electric strategy, showcasing the design direction for Lagonda's future sedan products.

Lagonda All-Terrain Concept / New Realm SUV (Released 2019) 

The brand's first zero-emission ultra-luxury electric SUV concept car, designed by Aston Martin, inspired by superyachts, showing extraordinary futurist style, built based on advanced pure electric system technology.The car debuted at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and Shanghai Auto Show.

Lagonda Models Pending Mass Production 

The brand once planned to launch a new flagship sedan product line, competing with Bentley and Rolls-Royce. This plan was reported in 2016, but has not been officially implemented yet. Additionally, some media once planned to launch the DB11 Lagonda Limited Edition (V8, about 2.98 million RMB). The brand plan also included the R&D plan of the LSUV model, but this information has not been officially confirmed.

Market Performance

Lagonda's market performance is extremely limited, and its core sales data is scarce. The Taraf was produced in only about 120 units globally, with fewer than 10 units allocated to China. Between 1976 and 1989, the first-generation Lagonda four-door sedan saw production of just 645 units. Additionally, between 1947 and 1976, only seven four-door sedans were produced. When the Taraf was sold in China, the official guide price started at 8.10 million RMB, and customers could also choose Aston Martin's Q Bespoke Services for personalized customization options costing millions more. Although the price was high, due to the extremely scarce quantity, the Taraf achieved rare appreciation in the used market: reports indicated that the model could command prices of $1.17 million USD (equivalent to about 7.85 million RMB) in the used car market, even exceeding its original transaction price.

Overall sales data for the Lagonda brand in recent years is insignificant for public statistics, and no Lagonda data appears in car sales rankings. Unlike brands such as Dianche that have not yet reached mass production, Lagonda has realized terminal transactions with extremely high unit prices under ultra-low volume, representing a top-tier survival model that "does not require economies of scale."

Core Technologies

Lagonda's engineering technology has long been rooted in Aston Martin's technical system, with core highlights reflected in three major directions: platform architecture, powertrain, and pure electric transformation.

VH Architecture Platform: The Taraf was built based on Aston Martin's extremely flexible VH Architecture (Vertical-Horizontal architecture). This platform is mainly used to build luxury touring cars and sports cars. It uses a full aluminum body frame structure with large-area carbon fiber body panels, achieving lightweighting while ensuring body rigidity.

V12 Naturally Aspirated Engine: The Taraf is equipped with a 6.0-liter V12 naturally aspirated engine, with a maximum power output of about 558 hp and peak torque of about 630 N·m, matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This engine is not purely a speed machine but a power unit balanced with the car's luxury positioning. It achieves 0-100 km/h acceleration in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of 281 km/h.

Ultimate Handcrafted Customization Craftsmanship: Lagonda's top-tier luxury is further reflected in its handcrafted craftsmanship. The Taraf is handcrafted at Aston Martin's most advanced manufacturing plant located in Gaydon, Warwickshire, with the entire production process completed under manual control and extremely fine management. At least 50 man-hours are required for the leather cutting and processing of each car, and the paint finish is handmade, with each step also requiring at least 50 man-hours. The C-pillar design provides sufficient rear seat privacy and comfort. Each engine is engraved with the assemblers' exclusive nameplate, creating a sense of ritual similar to that of luxury watches.

Pure Electric and Autonomous Driving Technology Reserves: Lagonda's future core technology direction has fully turned to pure electric and autonomous driving. The Zero-Emission Ultra-Luxury SUV technology platform, built based on pure electric system technology, was demonstrated on the New Realm SUV concept car released in 2019. The brand has stated that it hopes to achieve Level 4 or Level 5 in terms of autonomous driving capability, realizing the integration of technology and luxury.

Overseas Layout

Lagonda's headquarters and manufacturing plant are located in Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK, and all models are produced in Aston Martin's UK factories. In 2015, the brand officially entered the Chinese market, selling the Taraf in China at a guide price of 8.10 million RMB and supporting Aston Martin Q Bespoke Services. According to the original plan, the Taraf, limited to 200 units globally, was only intended for 24 markets including the Middle East, Europe, South Africa, and Hong Kong SAR, excluding Mainland China. However, Aston Martin ultimately decided to introduce the Taraf to the Mainland China market, indicating the brand's high regard for the Chinese luxury car market. Additionally, Lagonda chose the Shanghai Auto Show for the Asian premiere of multiple concept cars (such as the New Realm SUV concept car), further strengthening its presence in the Chinese market.

In terms of capital, in 2022, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group completed the acquisition of part of Aston Martin Lagonda International Holdings' shares, holding 17% until 2023. Although this is not a direct capital injection for the Lagonda brand, it will inevitably provide support for Lagonda's global expansion.

Future Outlook

Lagonda's future strategic direction has been clearly locked on pure electric and autonomous driving.Aston Martin CEO Palmer explicitly stated that Lagonda will focus on the production of electric vehicles in the future, and the fully resurrected Lagonda will be a brand new brand.Lagonda brand itself also proposed in the strategy that in the future, it will develop towards pure electric and autonomous driving, and the luxury demonstrated must meet the new luxury needs of the 21st century, realize a true resurgence, and strive to become the world's first ultra-luxury car brand positioned for completely zero emission.

In terms of product development pace, Lagonda has released the Lagonda Vision Concept concept sedan at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, and released the New Realm SUV concept car at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and Shanghai Auto Show, showcasing the prototype of future production vehicles.The brand has shared advanced technology with Mercedes-Benz on the electric drive system platform, and is also actively cooperating with partners to jointly develop high-performance electric vehicles.On the production schedule, the official mass production of pure electric models is still waiting for launch—this will be the key milestone for Lagonda to complete the transformation from a "very small quantity custom vehicle manufacturer" to a "zero-emission ultra-luxury brand".

The key observation points for the future are: the production and delivery progress of the first mass-produced pure electric model, whether the new flagship sedan will challenge competitors such as Rolls-Royce Ghost on schedule, and whether Geely Holdings' strategic empowerment will deepen the capital and intelligent cooperation space brought to Lagonda. If Lagonda can successfully complete the electrification transformation, this luxury old brand established 120 years ago in England will usher in its most major technical transformation and brand repositioning in history.