Aston Martin Rapide Spy Shots

Now that's a 4-door coupe!  More spyshots of Aston Martin's supersedan have come out , and over at Next Autos you can find more photos taken by their spy photographers. It looks to be staying extremely close to the original 2006 concept car, by all accounts a very good thing.

Well, take your pick; is there any comparison? The design is amazing, exhibiting classic Aston Martin beauty on a 4-door body. I don't mean to rag on the Panamera, but I feel Porsche could have done a lot better in the styling department.

Like Audi with it's Sportback, Aston Martin is going for clean, beautiful lines in it's Rapide. The picture displayed above is an actual rendering of the car released by Aston Martin last November.

Rumor has it the glass roof is carrying over to the production car.  I'd say it's a pretty sure thing, given it's been sighted on every test vehicle, and it is displayed even in the official rendering by the company.

It's no wonder demand for the Rapide is turning out to be much higher than expected. Initial estimates by the company called for around 500 units per year. That number has been much increased, with estimates now ranging between 2000-3500 units per year.

Based on the brand's VH architecture, the Rapide is the first Aston-Martin vehicle to be built outside of the United Kingdom. A deal with Magna-Steyr has the car being produced at a Steyr plant in Graz, Austria. 

I suspect this has something to do with the increased sales estimates; Aston Martin's UK plant is running at capacity producing the rest of the lineup.

The Aston Martin brand has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts lately, turning out a successful string of impressive new models. The Rapide looks to be no different. The car is set to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show as a 2010 model, with production beginning this year. 

There's no official details on pricing yet, but befitting of it's brand position, the car is expected to be sold at a level much higher then any of it's competitors. Way to go Aston, I can't wait to see this one in person!