LONDON -- Aston Martin's first DBX SUV rolled off the production line in Wales Thursday.
The model is key to the automaker's hopes of a turnaround at the company which has seen changes in management and ownership over the last few months amid a torrid performance.
The automaker has had a difficult time since it floated in 2018 as sales disappointed and it burnt through cash, prompting it to seek fresh investment from billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
Since then it has announced job cuts, is replacing its boss and has picked a new finance chief among a series of changes as it also responds to the coronavirus pandemic.
The DBX is the company's first foray into the lucrative off-road vehicle market, a late entrant compared to many rivals such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
"The DBX has become the car that will drive Aston Martin into a bold new era," said Aston's CEO Marek Reichman.Deliveries of the model will start later this month.
Work at the company's new St Athan factory in South Wales, where the model is being built, had to stop in March as lockdown saw the economy grind to a halt.
Output restarted in May with safety measures in place, but the automaker has yet to set a restart date for its English factory in Gaydon, where its sports cars are built.
