Aston Martin Just Released Its Sexy New Sedan - But You Can't Have One

Aston Martin released the first official photos of its upcoming Lagonda super-sedan, and the sinuous 4-door is as gorgeous as expected.

While the sedan's sleekly menacing looks may stand out, what's truly remarkable is Aston Martin's odd sales strategy. It consists mainly of telling most customers that they're not worthy of Lagonda ownership. Aston Martin will be making the Lagonda available exclusively in the Middle East - and even then only by invitation.

That's right: You can buy a Lagonda in only one part of the world - if Aston Martin lets you.

Low-volume ultra-exclusive cars are nothing new. Ferrari has turned the "This will be harder than getting into Harvard" application process into an art form.

However, unlike Ferrari, which can get away with doing no advertising and still have a six-month waiting list for its cars, Aston is a company that desperately needs to up its sales volume. Admittedly, the Lagonda will never sell in large numbers, no matter how many people they allow to buy the car. Nevertheless, for a company like Aston, every millionth dollar counts.

Aston Martin will resurrect the Lagonda name, last used a quarter century ago. The new Lagonda inherits some of its predecessor's design features. Styling cues - such as a long slender body, low-slung front, and narrow headlights - are all lifted from the Lagonda of the 1970s.

We don't know much about what's under the hood. Aston Martin only officially confirmed the car's existence in July. What we do know is that the Lagonda will be built on the company's Ford-developed VH platform -a platform shared by virtually the entire Aston line-up, according to the Telegraph.

But will the Lagonda will be powered by the company's own eight or 12-cylinder powerplant - or a Mercedes-sourced engine? We'll have a wait a while for the answer to that question.

We also don't know much about the Lagonda's interior. However, from the photos of the prototype undergoing heat testing in the Omani desert, we can assume that the sedan will have frameless doors, a leather-lined interior, and dark wood accents. A glimpse of the test car's interior also shows a traditional Aston Martin waterfall center column and pop-up infotainment screen.

Finally, we don't know how much the new Lagonda will cost. Presumably, anyone who receives in invitation to buy one will get that vital piece of information.