Aston Martin's DB9 replacement will be called... DB11!

The Aston Martin DB9's replacement will be called the DB11. "Big surprise, eh? " said company boss Andy Palmer after he made the announcement.

Yes, the surprise was diminished because of the car he was standing beside as he spoke, the DB10 that's been designed exclusively and especially for James Bond in his new outing, Spectre.

The DB11 launches next year. It's the first of a flood of sports cars and a crossover, the DBX. "By the end of the decade we will have replaced each car in our range. And added up to three more," Palmer says.

They won't be just versions with microscopically different power or revised ashtrays. "Each car has a striking degree of design differentiation."

Marek Reichman, head of design and Chief Creative Officer, tells Top Gear, pointing at his boss, "My motto now is that Andy's mum must be able to tell the cars apart."

Reichman also says the DB10 will provide inspiration for the looks of a future Aston. "But not the DB11. You will see the DB10 in another car."

Could that "other car" be one with fewer cylinders? Palmer nods. So that's the next V8 Vantage that has a DB10 look to it then.

Instead of the DB10's shark-like nose, undercut grille and narrow flush lights, Reichman says the DB11 will have a "proud grille and prominent lights, in a taller nose." That's partly to make room for the massive V12 engine.

Inside, all Astons will continue to be very leathery, but the instruments will be the virtual type on a TFT screen. However there will be physical bezels laid onto the screen, so it still looks like crafted jewellery. And those physical parts will be different for each car.