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The British carmaker Aston Martin developed the vertical–horizontal (VH) vehicle platform to serve as the basis of most of the mass-produced vehicles in its lineup manufactured between 2003 and 2016, comprising the DB9, followed by the Vantage, DBS, Rapide and Vanquish. The limited-production Virage, DB10 and Lagonda Taraf also used this platform.

Ulrich Bez was appointed chief executive officer and chairman of Aston Martin in July 2000. At that time, the company had made significant investments in the V12 Vanquish's structural platform and determined that developing a separate platform for a single model would not be a prudent use of resources. In 2001, Bez initiated the development of a new versatile architecture intended to accompany automobiles of various sizes; most of the developments were done within that year. Aston Martin implemented modifications to enhance assembly efficiency, aiming for thirty minutes per unit, compared to the four hours required for the V12 Vanquish. The VH platform was developed to be flexible. Every vehicle that uses it incorporates bonded and riveted aluminium to reduce weight. The term "vertical" indicates that the platform can accommodate various applications and can be adjusted in size to meet the requirements of future models. The term "horizontal" signifies that components of the platform can be used across different models within the Aston Martin lineup.

The first vehicle to use the VH platform was the DB9, which constituted the platform's first generation. The Vantage, introduced in 2005, used the second generation of the platform, along with the DBS and DB10, introduced in 2007 and 2014, respectively. The third generation of the platform was used by the Virage in 2011, the 2012 facelift of the DB9 and the 2012 Vanquish. The Rapide and Lagonda Taraf used the fourth generation, an extended version of the platform. The cars have since been discontinued. The Virage and DBS both ended production in 2012, followed by the DB10 in 2015. The DB9 and Taraf were discontinued in 2016, while the Vantage and Vanquish ended production in 2018. Production of the Rapide ended in 2020.

Vehicles

Mass produced vehicles

Body style	Model					Refs.
	Name	Image	Introduction (year)	Discontinuation (year)	Generation
Grand tourer	DB9		2004	2016	First (2012 facelift used third)
Sports car	Vantage		2005	2018	Second
Grand tourer	DBS		2007	2012	Second
Executive car	Rapide		2010	2020	Fourth
Grand tourer	Vanquish		2012	2018	Third

Limited-production vehicles

Body style	Model					Refs.
	Name	Image	Introduction (year)	Discontinuation (year)	Generation
Grand tourer	Virage		2011	2012	Third
Grand tourer	DB10		2014	2015	Second
Full-size luxury car	Lagonda Taraf		2015	2016	Fourth

Notes

1. This excludes the V12 Vanquish and DB11, the latter of which was manufactured from September 2016 and used an all-new platform

References

1. Petrány, Máté (17 May 2018). "Why Aston Martin Replaced the DB11 V12 With the Hotter AMR After Twenty Months". Road & Track. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
2. Taylor 2024, p. 202.
3. Taylor 2024, p. 206.
4. Taylor 2024, p. 207.
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7. Taylor 2024, pp. 207–208.
8. Taylor 2024, p. 210.
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18. Loveys 2015, p. 2001.
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29. DeLorenzo, Matt (2 March 2011). "2012 Aston Martin Virage at 2011 Geneva Auto Show". Road & Track. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
30. Hogan, Mack (6 June 2018). "You've Already Forgotten About The Aston Martin Virage". Jalopnik. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
31. "2012 Virage and Virage Volante", The Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, 19 March 2011, p. 120, retrieved 9 May 2024 – via Newspapers.com
32. Berk, Brett (30 September 2015). "Test-Driving James Bond's Snazzy New Aston Martin". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
33. Duff, Mike (4 February 2016). "Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf 2015-2016 review". Autocar. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

Bibliography

• Loveys, Richard (2015). Aston Martin. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78442-073-4.
• Taylor, James (2024). Aston Martin DB9 and Vanquish: The Complete Story. Crowood Press. ISBN 978-0-7198-4316-7.

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