2001 Aston Martin Db7 Vantage Coupe on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin investor says demand is 'phenomenal,' returned first in China

LONDON - Carmaker Aston Martin is seeing "phenomenal" demand, boosted by a rebound in China, the company's executive chairman and billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll said on Friday. "Demand right now is phenomenal," he told the Financial Times' "The Future of the Car" digital conference. "China really returned first and strongest, and is gangbusters." Stroll led a consortium which invested in Aston earlier this year as the carmaker struggled following its 2018 stock market flotation, after which its share price slumped. Since then a new chief executive has taken over and the 107-year company, famed for being fictional agent James Bond's car of choice, did a deal in October which sees German carmaker Daimler up its stake in the firm. Shareholders approved the latest capital injection plan on Friday. Stroll said Aston's current growth trajectory meant "the public markets are the right place" for the firm whilst eying an increase in the value of its shares, which stand at 79 pence ($1.06). "They'll be significantly worth more than they are today," he said. Reporting by Costas Pitas, editing by David Milliken and Louise Heavens

2020 Virtual Geneva Motor Show Editors' Picks

There may not have been an actual Geneva Motor Show this year, but there were still loads of car reveals that happened the week that the show would have happened. So we still wanted to highlight what our favorites of the would-be show. Our list of cars seemed to match the theme of the reveals, too, highlighting over-the-top supercars and forward thinking electric vehicles. Scroll down to see our favorites. Fifth Place: Aston Martin V12 Speedster - 21 points Managing Editor, Greg Rasa: Astons are works of art, and this one's ready for the Louvre. The design nods to Aston history are nifty. It looks like a jet fighter, except those have canopies. Not sure what 186 mph would be like in this, but don't try it in summer when there are bugs. Contributing Editor, Joe Lorio: Admittedly, this one is a little silly. A $950,000 sports car with no roof? A 700-hp two-seater with no windshield? But the offerings at the Geneva auto show have always tilted toward absurdity, and Aston’s V12 Speedster is endearingly outrageous as a fighter plane for the street. Third Place (Tie): Volkswagen ID.4 - 26 points Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: I don't have much to say about this other than I am a huge fan of more EVs coming to the market, which is why two-thirds of my picks are electric, including the ID.4. Producer, Alex Malberg: Any new fully-electric crossover is a vote for me. The fact it doesn't look terrible and VW will be including AWD later are bonuses.  Third Place (Tie): Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio GTA - 26 points Road Test Editor, Zac Palmer: Hard to argue with the logic of this one. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is already the best driver in this class of hot sedans, so why not extend the lead with a special model. That wing is Type R levels of high, and I completely approve. Associate Editor, Byron Hurd: Love this car. Love it, love it, love it. It's beautiful, aggressive and fast. I'd take it over an M3 or C63 any day. As cool as the GTAm is, though, I'd rather stick to the four-seat GTA. Something about a four-door car with two seats just doesn't really work for me. I haven't alienated ALL of my friends quite yet. Second Place: Hyundai Prophecy - 35 points Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder: I get whiffs of the Genesis Coupe from this sleek concept. I like the focus on form, with interesting details to discover if you look for them. West Coast Editor, James Riswick: Does it look like a Porsche? Sure, but Porsches look neat.

Aston Martin SUV production to start in late 2019

Aston Martin has confirmed it's upcoming SUV will begin production at a new factory beginning in late-2019. The high end sport-utility will be similar in size and design to the DBX Concept, which Aston Martin first exhibited in Monterey back in 2015. Since it first debuted three years, the market for exotic and hugely expensive sport-utilities has gotten red-hot and highly competitive. New models in this rarefied segment of the sport-utility world now include the Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Bentley Bentayga. The plant where Aston will build its SUV is based in St. Athan, Wales, on the site of a former Royal Air Force base. A total of three former aircraft hangars are being combined, to create this new facility. This factory is only part of a larger expansion plan that will add roughly 1,000 new employees to Aston Martin's ranks, stationed throughout its existing facilities in Gaydon and Newport Pagnell, along with the new St. Athan-based site. "We are delighted at the progress being made at the St Athan site. The team have done a fantastic job in advancing the facility and I was incredibly proud to chair our first Board meeting at the new plant," said Andy Palmer, Aston Martin's president and CEO. Showing how important adding a truck is to its future business model, Aston confirmed a total of 150 employees will be assigned solely to "pre-production preparations" related to the company's upcoming SUV. Related Video: