Aston Martin 4-door Rapide S unveiled for China in Shanghai

Luxury sports car maker Aston Martin's top executives unveiled the luxury four-door GT Rapide S in China on April 20 at the Auto Shanghai 2013.

Aston Martin Lagonda's top officers pose for a photo at the China launching event on April 20, 2013 at Auto Shanghai 2013. From left to right: Regional Director for Aston Martin Lagonda China Jenny Zheng Jinlan, Director of Design at Aston Martin Lagonda Marek Reichman, CEO of Aston Martin Lagonda Dr Ulrich Bez. [Hao Yan / chinadaily.com.cn]

Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive Officer, Ulrich Bez, said:"The Rapide S is to me, without doubt, the most beautiful four-door sports car on the market today."

"It is a four-door sports car that uniquely combines luxury, style and sporting excitement in Aston Martin's most flexible and accommodating silhouette," Bez said.

The new Rapide S boasts an imposing and assertive new 'face', created by virtue of the impressive new full grille. Imbuing the new car with an even more sporty, forceful demeanour, the revised front-end design is matched at the back by a striking new rear deck profile which includes a more pronounced boot lid 'flip'. 

"It provide space and real conpartment for friends, for family." Jenny Zheng Jinlan, China regional director of the company, told chinadaily.com.cn in an interview after the Rapide S China launching event.

"We see the market feedback, especially in China, more than half sales is the four-door rapide...When we do the planning, we considered China. China has preference on certain models. From what we see, maybe lots of people are waiting for the four-door Rapide S," said Zheng.

Rapide S uses the new AM11 naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12 powerplant delivering unprecedented power and improved in-gear acceleration. Power from the new engine jumps significantly compared to that of its predecessor: up by 17% or a massive 81 PS from 477 PS at 6,000 rpm to a now very substantial 558 PS at 6,750 rpm. Peak torque increases, too, up from 600 Nm to 620 Nm at 5,000 rpm. Increases in power and torque lead to even swifter performance as befits a four-door sports car, making Rapide S the most powerful four-door Aston Martin to date.

"In a couple of weekends time, we race for the first time the hybrid car which runs on hydrogen and petrol. Our first hydrogen car, as a race car, would be proven on the race track, one of the hardest environment to drive the car in...and that would be the Rapide S situation around." Scott Fisher the company's prodcut communications manager told the reporter.

The new Rapide S is available to order in the Chinese market starting from the recommended retail price of 3,588,800 yuan (excluding tax).

A model poses next to Aston Martin's new Rapide S on April 20, 2013, the media day of Auto Shanghai 2013. [Hao Yan / chinadaily.com.cn]