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Aston Martin has taken a large array of its latest vehicles to the Beijing motor show, reflecting the important of the Chinese market to the company's aspirations - while celebrating 70 years of the DB badging.
The luxury carmaker took the opportunity to show off the new Vantage, the racing GTE version of the same machine (that will contest the World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and all three versions of the DB11: the V8 and V12 coupes; and also the Volante.
Aston Martin's president and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: "The models on display here in Beijing are a vivid demonstration of Aston Martin's unfolding 'Second Century' product strategy. With the imminent launch of the DBS Superleggera, we are on track to replace each of our existing two-door sports car models by the end of this year.
"In 2017, the Chinese market was our fastest growing region. This impressive performance reflects increasing demand for our new and special vehicles. The continued roll-out of our new model pipeline, including the company's first electric vehicle in 2019, will further improve Aston Martin's market share in this key market, alongside investments we are making to strengthen brand visibility and sales performance. These investments reflect our confidence in the Aston Martin brand and the attractiveness of the Chinese market."
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Aston took all three DB11s to the show because the brand is also celebrating 70 years of the DB bloodline. The letters - which of course are the initials of the company's former owner, David Brown - first appeared on the DB2 of 1949... and yes, you're wondering if we've done the maths wrong. Well, the 2-Litre Sports of 1948 was, from 1950 onwards, retrospectively referred to as the DB1, hence the seven decades of lineage in 2018.
A DB11 at the Beijing show was unveiled in Volcano Red, which is said to have been what David Brown would have favoured himself, and Dr Palmer added: "For 70 years, DB has remained at the core of Aston Martin's DNA and continues to represent a mark of quality, performance and, above all, Aston Martin's heritage. The DB11 Coupes and Volante in Beijing are no different. They carry the same virtues of their predecessors and are the product of the same passion that David Brown gave this great British company during his tenure. DB is and always will be an important cornerstone of this business, as we continue to move forward into our Second Century of crafted world-class sports cars."