Aston Martin’s four-door luxury sedan introduced in 2010 was the Rapide.
The Rapide was Aston Martin’s first series-produced four-door automobile. Development began in 2005 under design director Marek Reichman, and a prototype appeared at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. The production car debuted in 2009 before manufacture began in May 2010.
Despite being marketed as a luxury saloon, the Rapide retained Aston Martin’s sporting character. It used the company’s aluminium-intensive VH architecture and shared substantial mechanical components with the DB9, including a front-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and a V12 powertrain. Its sloping roof and coupé-like proportions gave it a distinctive profile, though they limited rear-seat space.
Production initially took place at Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria, then moved to Gaydon in Warwickshire in 2012. The Rapide continued through 2020, while the Rapide E electric model reached production-ready form but was never series-produced.