DB11 Coupe

Segment
Coupe

Aston Martin has officially confirmed that a successor to the DB11, likely called the DB12, will be revealed later this month. "The heir to DB11 will shortly be taking its throne," the UK automaker said in a statement. "The 24th of May sees the release of the next in line to the bloodline. An icon, risen from an icon, risen from an icon. You won't want to miss the coronation."

The teaser clearly plays into the coronation of Charles III and Camilla as king and queen of the United Kingdom, which takes place later this week and is one of the the country's most significant events in modern history. The Aston Martin DB11 replacement might be slightly less important in world news, but it's still exciting.

The teaser doesn't show much, just a shadowy image of the front end, revealing lights that are very different from the DB11 with a three-box signature. As for the overall shape, it appears to be a heavily massaged update to the familiar DB11, which arrived on the market back in 2016 as a replacement to the DB9. What happened to the DB10, you might ask? It was used as a Bond car and later went on to inspire the Vantage's design, so Aston skipped that number.

Our spy photographers have already spotted the DB12 out testing wearing heavy camouflage, so we are not shocked by its sudden arrival. The exterior sports some minor changes, like a traditional hood in lieu of the DB11's clamshell design. Under the hood, we expect multiple flavors of the AMG-sourced V8, but it's unclear if the V12 model will continue. That engine could be saved for the DBS replacement.

Inside, the DB12 will get an infotainment upgrade that has been desperately needed since the DB11 debuted. We expect this new system will still be borrowed from Mercedes-Benz, but sources close to Aston Martin tell us it will have a unique layout and design. Improvements should include built-in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a touchscreen interface.

So far, Aston has only been seen testing a coupe, but a Volante model is almost certainly in the cards. A faster version is highly likely as well, but it may not use the DBS name this time around. No matter what it's called, we have no doubt it will be great.