Aston Martin new Rapide S to debut at Auto Shanghai 2013

An Aston Martin Rapide S is pictured. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Aston Martin's new four-door sports car Rapide S is set to make its Asia debut at the Auto Shanghai 2013 where it will also be joined by the Vanquish Centenary Limited Edition offerings.

The new Rapide S from the luxury British sports car maker made its global premiere at the 83rd Geneva Motor Show. The new luxury four-door GT will make its first public appearance stateside at the 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industrial Exhibition from the 20th this month.

Pride of place is reserved for the latest luxurious addition to the now fully-replaced or refreshed sports car range - the forthcoming Rapide S.

The luxury four-door Rapide S has been redesigned and painstakingly re-engineered to reassert its position. The Rapide S now boasts an even more assertive 'face' created by virtue of the striking new full grille.

An Aston Martin Rapide S is pictured. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Extensive design and engineering improvements make the new Rapide S even more desirable and refined. It replaces the outgoing Rapide in markets worldwide.

The new front end design is matched at the back by a new rear deck profile which consists of a more pronounced boot lid 'flip'. The improved aerodynamic and aesthetic upgrades both reinforce the sporting nature of new Rapide S.

Changes under the car's sinuous skin are comprehensive, with the new AM11 naturally-aspirated 6.0-liter V12 powerplant delivering unprecedented power and improved in-gear acceleration.

Output jumps significantly versus the previous V12: power is up by 17%, or 81 PS, from 477 PS at 6,000 rpm to an unprecedented 558 PS at 6,750 rpm.

Peak torque increases, too, up from 600 Nm to 620 Nm at 5,500 rpm. Meanwhile an even more marked improvement in torque occurs lower down the rev range, as pulling power rises by more than 40 Nm between idle and 4,000 rpm with an additional 50 Nm available at 2,500 rpm.

An Aston Martin Rapide S is pictured. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]