Native infotainment to set Aston Martin apart

Sidelining Daimler’s infotainment and human machine interface (HMI) systems and moving to a bespoke electronics platform is a key ingredient to repositioning Aston Martin, say senior executives of the super-luxury British brand.

Debuting in the new DB12 ‘Super Tourer’, Aston’s own multimedia interface replaces the largely Mercedes-Benz-based system and controls that Aston Martin leaned on for its current range of vehicles including the Vantage sports car and DBX luxury SUV.

The new system comprises high-definition, ultra-fast touch-screens and conventional displays, plus high-quality ‘analogue’ controls for oft-used functions.

Aston Martin says the inspiration and benchmarking of the new system is the latest products from Apple and it has sought to rival the operation speed and intuitive nature of the ubiquitous smartphones.

“The DB12 marks the first step in our journey to owning our own technology roadmap,” explained Aston Martin’s Head of Product and Market Strategy, Alex Long.

“This is a significant investment, not for one car but for the whole range across the next few years.

“What it means for us is an entirely bespoke system that we’ve developed. It means the customer, most importantly, has an Aston Martin interface – our own graphics, our own components.

“We’ve gone for a strategy where, of course, the technology is there, but in luxury it’s about integration, it’s about materials and experience. So we’ve used some beautiful switches for direct access to things like HVAC, media and, most importantly on this car, the drive mode selector and so on,” Long explained.

Aston Martin’s Director of Design, Miles Nurnberger, says the native HMI also allows the company to design its interiors without the compromises required to accommodate a partner’s set-up.

“If you are to be a luxury brand, the user interface must be brand-specific. It can’t be borrowed. Even if you can reskin something borrowed, it’s known.

“After that, obviously, the minute you do it yourself, you have control on how you are going to develop your ecosystem in the future… It means a lot – obviously the app integration, over-the-air updates, what we want to do, where we go in the future.

“That’s super-significant for us,” Nurnberger stated.

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au