2010 aston martin rapide
The 2010 Aston Martin Rapide will be based on the concept shown at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, which is pictured here. Check out pictures of future sports cars.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

"Q, my new Aston has four doors!" "Quite right, 007. This time, M and I are going with you." It's no secret. James Bond's favorite motorcar maker plans to shake up the prestige market with a stirring new sedan.

What We Know About the 2010 Aston Martin Rapide

We've known about this for quite some time, Mr. Bond. It's Aston Martin's first regular-production four-door in over 25 years. Almost sure to be badged Rapide and designated a 2010 model, the suave four-seat sports-luxury sedan should be almost identical to the like-named--and fully drivable--concept presented at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. This will be the second new Aston introduced under the auspices of the four-party consortium that took over the celebrated British firm from Ford Motor Company in spring 2007. The first was the high-performance DBS coupe that bowed several months later.

Though still a relatively small, boutique automaker, Aston is prospering famously after years of operating in the red. Many credit this turnaround to CEO Ulrich Bez, the former top engineer at Porsche who took charge in 2000. Since then, Aston sales have shot up seven-fold, with over 7000 cars delivered in 2006 alone. The Rapide is expected to accelerate this growth as a high-style, high-speed touring sedan with broader market appeal than Aston's signature two-seaters and tight 2+2s. Luckily for the new owners, Dr. Bez and his team have agreed to stay on.

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