Aston Martin boss Ulrich Bez has confirmed that the four-door Rapide saloon will be built.
In an interview this week, Bez hinted that the Rapide could be on sale in 2008 - beating Porsche's Panamera four-door to market by at least a year.
The Rapide was first shown as a concept at this year's Detroit motor show, and is based on the same VH aluminium monocoque platform that is used for the DB9 and V8 Vantage.
The close relationship of the Rapide to existing models - and the fact that the concept was a fully driveable car - suggest that the new four-door will require comparatively little development.
The Rapide will use the same 6.0-litre V12 as the DB9, with around 450-480bhp channelled to the rear wheel via a paddle-shift controlled automatic gearbox.
The new car is expected to cost around £160,000, and up to 500 a year will be built at Aston's Gaydon factory.
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