2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Sprint on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Aston Martin applies to trademark 'Vanguard' name

Aston Martin hit up three trademark registration offices in an effort to reserve the name "Vanguard." The automaker from Gaydon sent two requests to the European Union Intellectual Property, one to the Japan Patent Office, and one to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 22. CarBuzz discovered the filings and suspects the name could be applied to the carmaker's first battery-electric vehicle. We've no idea if that's correct, but it sounds like a fine guess. Two years ago, then-Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers told Motor Trend the automaker would overhaul its conventional lineup in 2023, launch the luxury automaker's first EVs in 2026, and convert half the lineup to electric cars by 2030. Other reports from last year indicated the brand would offer an electrified version of every model in the range by that year, and launch an EV in 2025. The new Vanquish is expected to arrive in 2025 with a hybrid powertrain, and there were suspicions awhile back that it would offer an electric option. The questions are, is the Vanguard the name for the rumored electric Vanquish? And if Vanguard ends up being used anywhere, and that use is on an EV concept or production car, has the timetable for that car's appearance changed? Filing a trademark often happens in the final year or two before debut. Aston Martin just applied for the DB12 name; we expect that car on the market in less than a year. A similar span separated the Valkyrie, 2001 Vanquish, DBS trademarks from their launches. On the other hand, the Cygnet got trademarked here two years before its launch, the DBX, five. Our guess is that we'll see the EV before the timeline we might have expected in 2021. This is the brand's 110th anniversary year, after all. Between that, the raft of new product on the way, and a stunning start to the Formula 1 season, why not take advantage of the momentum. Company boss Lawrence Stroll might also want to show investors — both those who could inject more money and those who might be trying buy a large share — that the company is ready to ride the alternative energy tide the appropriate way this time, as opposed to its last electric effort, the Aston Martin Rapide E. The electrification is anticipated to commence this year with the arrival of the V8-powered plug-in hybrid powertrain in the Valhalla, and could be bolstered by a mild hybrid system in the updated DB11 thought to be renamed DB12.

Get lost in Evo's sublime 2013 Car of the Year testing

Every year Evo stages its Car of the Year test, bringing the best performance cars in the world to one location for an epic shootout. This year the magazine pitted eight CotY finalists against each other on Route Napoleon in Southern France - Evo claims it's the "best road in the world" - and then proceeded to nitpick the smallest of faults on each car until the winner could be named. You see, this year's lineup of machines was just so good that only one car obviously wasn't CotY material from the get-go. Can you guess which one judging from the list below?
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
- Audi R8 V10 Plus

Alfa Romeo unveils Formula One car for new season

MONTMELO, Spain — Alfa Romeo has unveiled the new Formula One car that will be piloted by former champion Kimi Raikkonen this season. Raikkonen, teammate Antonio Giovinazzi and team principle Frederic Vasseur posed with the white-and-burgundy Alfa Romeo C38 in the pit lane of the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit before preseason testing started on Monday. Alfa Romeo is the rebranded name for the Sauber team this season. Raikkonen joined Alfa Romeo from Ferrari, where he won the Italian team's most recent drivers' title in 2007. The 39-year-old Finn is joined by Giovinazzi, a 25-year-old Italian with two Grand Prix races under his belt. Sauber finished eighth in the constructors' standings last year. More AP auto racing