Elite Traveler January-February 2017

Motoring DISCOVER

THE ONES TOWATCH 2017

After last year’s successful launch of the all-new DB11, there is a whole raft of new Aston Martins scheduled for delivery in the coming years. It’s an ambitious program of expansion (dubbed the “second century plan”) that kicks off this fall with the Aston Martin V8 Vantage . At about the same time we may get sight of the new Audi A8 , which will carry a lot of clever new tech. Expect a car able to drive itself that also comes with a Siri-like personal digital assistant, able to tell you when you need to depart to arrive on time plus when and where to stop for fuel along the way. Lexus is in the middle of a complete overhaul and the next in the range to get that striking new look is the new Lexus LC . Due in the spring, it should cost about $150,000. There are also rumors of a convertible version of the Lexus RC, which might arrive at the tail end of the year. Also going open top is Ferrari’s ferociously quick hybrid LaFerrari. It gets the convertible treatment with the arrival of the Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta , but advance sales have been so strong that the entire line is already sold out. Elsewhere from Italy comes the Maserati Alfieri . After focusing on four-seat grand tourers, this marks a welcome return to something more graceful and sporty. The AMG wing of Mercedes will continue to thrill this year first with a new AMG GT Roadster and AMG GT C Roadster (the latter will boast a 4.0-liter twin turbo V8 generating 548bhp and will be capable of 0-60 in under four seconds) as well as an insane new sedan, the AMG E63 (which will come with a 612bhp V8). If you are in the market for a high-performance, luxury sedan then there is good news from BMW , which finally applies its M badge to the 7-series. The M760i will boast

From the top: Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta

a whopping twin-turbocharged, 6.6-liter V-12 engine with 600bhp. If you prefer your sedan to deliver more luxury, try the Mercedes Maybach S650 – it is expected to be something akin to a five-star hotel on wheels. There is also talk of the new Range Rover Sport Coupé due later in the year (with more than a hint of the popular Evoque about its looks).