The new Aston Martin Rapide four-door sports saloon will go on sale in the UK in the first quarter of 2010 with prices starting from £139,950 (US$232,800 or €154,000 at today's exchange rates), the British automaker announced today. In comparison, the Rapide's closest rival, the 500-horsepower Porsche Panamera Turbo is priced at £95,258 in the UK.

The Rapide is powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine that cranks out 477-horsepower and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of peak torque, and is connected to a six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters.

Aston Martin said that the Rapide's will come equipped with many standard features including a Bang & Olufsen Beosound audio system tailored specifically for the car, heated memory seats, dual cast brakes and Adaptive Damping System.

Customer deliveries will start at the beginning of the second quarter of 2010 with Aston Martin anticipating to produce around 2,000 units in the first year.

The Rapide is the firm's first sports car to be built outside the UK, as production will take place at the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria. According to Aston Martin, each Rapide will take approximately 220 man hours to build.